Black Dolphin Prison

Federal Governmental Institution — penal colony № 6 Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia in Orenburg region , commonly known as the Black Dolphin Prison , is a correctional facility in Sol-Iletsk, Orenburg Oblast, Russia, near its border with Kazakhstan. The prison is one of the oldest in Russia, and one of the first in the Orenburg region to accept prisoners with life sentences. It gets its unofficial name from a fountain with a prisoner-constructed sculpture depicting a black dolphin, which is set before the main entrance. The prison houses approximately 700 of the most serious criminals in Russia, including child molestors, murderers, terrorists, cannibals, serial killers and so-called maniacs. Prisoners at Black Dolphin all are serving sentences of imprisonment for life. The prison began accepting these inmates on 1 November 2000.Inmates are kept isolated and housed in cells that have a set of three steel doors. For 90 minutes a day, they are transported to a large cage for exercise; during this time, cells are searched for contraband or illegal items. Prisoners at Black Dolphin are kept under 24-hour supervision; they are not permitted to rest or sit on their bunks from the time they are awoken until it is time to sleep again, a span of about 16 hours. Every 15 minutes, a guard makes rounds to ensure inmates are complying with the rules. The prisoners are fed soup four times a day. The prisoners are only allowed books, newspapers, and a radio . When prison officers make a command to the inmates, they must respond with the words yes, sir . Prison guards place blindfolds on arriving prisoners so that they can not map out the prison or plan escapes. Prisoners are also blindfolded whenever they are transported between buildings. Also unique to Black Dolphin is the form in which guards escort inmates; prisoners are kept bent over at the waist while a guard holds their handcuffed hands behind their back, higher than the inmate's hips. This stress position allows for maximum control over the inmate while depriving him of a view of his immediate surroundings, and prevents him from escaping and attacking prison staff. While there have been rumors of inmate abuse and misconduct at Black Dolphin Prison, there have been no confirmed reports or complaints.Originally, Black Dolphin was a jail for those sentenced to life at hard labor, a purpose it had dating to at least 1745. After the suppression of Pugachev's Rebellion in 1773, the prison was updated for the deportation and confinement of robbers. German actress Carola Neher died at Black Dolphin in 1942.
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