The cost of keeping a prisoner in Ukraine is twice the minimum wage: infographic
Kyiv • UNN
The average monthly cost of maintaining prisoners in Ukraine is 14165 UAH, which is twice the minimum wage. Most of these funds are spent on the staff of the penitentiary service.
One of the social guarantees that should ensure that everyone can earn a living is the minimum wage. However, in Ukraine, the cost of living for a prisoner is twice as high as the minimum guaranteed by the state to a free person. Volodymyr Bogatyr, a lawyer, Honored Lawyer of Ukraine, PhD in Law, said this in a commentary to UNN based on data provided by the Ministry of Justice.
"The average monthly expenses for the maintenance of convicts and detainees per person were provided by at our request from the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, which today also includes the State Criminal Executive Service," the lawyer said.
According to Volodymyr Bohatyry, over the past seven years, these costs have increased 3.3 times - from UAH 4258 per month in 2016 to UAH 14165 in 2023 (see infographic for details).
"The amount of the minimum monthly wage, which is determined annually in the State Budget of Ukraine, has also been increasing, but has always been less (approximately two times) than the cost of maintaining prisoners.
Why is this so? Because a free person, who also works to make a living, has objectively more needs than those in places of detention. In addition to the costs of food, clothing, and housing (which prisoners are provided with), an employee must take care of their children or parents, somehow exercise the right to rest, and save something for the future.
The fact is that the costs of prisoners, in addition to meeting their needs, also include expenses for the maintenance and social protection of the staff of the penitentiary service, support for operational activities, as well as expenses for material and technical support of the activities of institutions and bodies of the SPS, payment for utilities and energy, etc.", the lawyer explained the difference.
Volodymyr Bohatyr also drew attention to Expenditure Allocation of the State Budget of Ukraine for 2024 (Annex 3 to the State Budget Law), where it can be seen that the budget program 3601020 "Execution of Sentences by Institutions and Bodies of the State Criminal Executive Service of Ukraine" together with the general and special funds under this program amount to UAH 8.7 billion. The lion's share (99.5%) is consumption expenditures.
"Utilities and energy take up UAH 912.1 million (10.4%), while wages and salaries account for UAH 6.1 billion (69.7% of all expenses). That is, most of the cost of keeping a prisoner is the cost of maintaining the staff of the penitentiary service. It is anyone's guess how much money is actually left for convicts and detainees to live on," Bogatyr added.
He also noted that, compared to the previous year, labor costs under the budget program 3601020 in 2024 increased by UAH 1.18 billion, or 24%. At the same time, the minimum wage (as of January 1) increased by only 6% (from UAH 6,700 to UAH 7,100).
For full data by year, see the table.
"The logic of the figures indicates that the state cares more about employees of the institutions and bodies of the State Penitentiary Service than about social guarantees for its ordinary citizens. Why is this the case is a question for those who are now responsible for legal and economic policy in the country," the lawyer summarized.
