The research of the penitentiary system functioning in the mentioned region is actualized not only by the lack of attention to this topic from the local and world historiography but also by the ability to achieve the set goal by the way of doing a research on the border of such up-to-date for social humanities sub-disciplinary areas as the regional history, social history, and the history of law. Up until recently, such marginal groups of Volyn and Galicia society as criminals and prisoners did not attract a lot of researchers’ attention.
The same situation can be observed with the analysis of their everyday life. Study of the history of Polish penitentiary system functioning on the territory of Volyn and Galicia is topical also because it enables comparing the experience it acquired with the activity realities and the tasks of the criminal-executive systems of different countries, including Ukraine. The feasibility of this topic is defined as well by the fact that this research contributes to introduction into the scientific circulation a lot of little-known materials about not only the history of establishing, organization, and functioning of the penitentiary system in Volyn and Galicia, but as well about the socio-political, socio-economic and national religious situation in the region at that time.
Among the regional features of this process we can single out the complicated military political situation, namely the events of the Polish-Ukrainian and Polish-Bolshevik conflicts, complicated solution of the “Ukrainian question” on the international arena, national and religious politics of the Polish governments, which caused gradual elimination of the non-Polish personnel from the penitentiary system; complicated (re)evacuation processes and the problems concerning the prisoners exchange, etc. On the territory of Volyn and Galicia, there were penitentiary institutions of different types and classes, which were preliminary of the criminal investigative character. Volyn prisons due to another penitentiary system model had a smaller number of prisoners compared to the Galicia institutions. Most of the prisons in Galicia had a specific architectural feature of being localized together with the court facilities in the same building complex according to the Austrian law tradition. The vast majority of Volyn and Galicia prisons’ personnel were Polish Roman Catholics. These people usually had military or law enforcement background.
Everyday life of the prisoners was regulated and norm-based. The prisoners often complained about low-quality food and malnourishment. During their imprisonment, very often they suffered from different illnesses, and sought medical care. Integral element of the prisoner’s everyday routine was labor. The prisoners could participate in different kinds of labor in the prison and outside. For some, their imprisonment provided an opportunity to acquire literacy, get basic education, or enhance their religiousness. Staying in the penitentiary institutions, the prisoners often violated the prison regime. Riots, hunger strikes, and escapes were the most radical manifestations of it. The prisoners created their own closed groups – “communes” (“communities”). These formations had strict hierarchy and regulated rules of conduct. The leaders of these groups were entitled to represent their cellmates when interacting with the prison authorities. Political prisoners also created their internal groups and tried not to abandon their political activity even behind the prison walls. People, who were from Volyn and Galicia, could also be kept in prisons outside of their region. Mainly it was because the crime was committed and investigated in another voivodeship, the institution was chosen by the court order or because the local institutions were overcrowded. Social and political sectors played an important role providing financial and legal support to the prisoners. For example, the subsidiaries of the Patronat organization provided moral and financial support to those who stayed in the penitentiary institutions for various reasons as well to their relatives. Left-wing radical prisoners were supported by the International Red Aid, Committee of Political Prisoners Support in the Eastern Galicia (Local Committee of Revolution Support in the Eastern Galicia), etc. In the second half of the ‘20s in the region that was researched we can track the activity of the Interparty Secretariat for the Amnesty of Political Prisoners. The efficient legal and financial support to prisoners was provided by a number of social and political organizations such as Human and Civil Rights Protection League, Ukrainian Political Prisoners Support Committee (Ukrainian Charity Committee), as well as by a lot politicians, lawyers, social activists, and private individuals.
Key words: Volyn, Galicia, Poland, penitentiary system, prison, prisoner, establishing, development
