Corrective labor colony

A corrective labor colony (Russian: Исправительно-трудовая колония, ИТК, ispravitelno-trudovaya koloniya, ITK) is the most common type of prison in Russia and some post-Soviet states which combines penal detention with forced labor. The system of colonies originated in 1929 and developed as a post-Stalin replacement of the Gulag labor camp system.

In the late Soviet Union the labor colonies were governed by Article 11 of the Corrective Labor Law and were intended for adult (16 years and over) convicts. The colonies were classified according to the regimen of severity: colonies of ordinary, reinforced, strict, and special regimens (колонии общего, усиленного, строгого, особого режимов), as well as the "colony-settlements" (колонии-поселения). Only ordinary and strict regimens (and colony-settlements) were provided for female convicts.

"Colony-settlements" were establishments introduced in 1960s for convicts with good behavior who served at least half of the term for those eligible for the parole and who served two thirds of the term and not eligible for parole. The inmates eye without guard but under observation and might move relatively freely and have family.

Of the four types of facilities of prisons in Russia, the corrective colony (ispravitelnie kolonii or IK) is the most common, with 760 institutions in 2004 across the many administrative divisions of Russia.

Corrective colony regimes are categorized as very strict/special, strict, general, and open. The detachment ( or otryad) is the basic unit of the prison. When not in the detachment, prisoners are required to participate in penal labour, which is in the form of work brigades in colony production zones where prisoners earn a wage of which most is paid to the colony for their upkeep.

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