Minina Natalia A.,
State Novosibirsk Historical Museum, Novosibirsk, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
“Long journey, prison-house”: to the Question of the Formation of the Police and Prison Authorities in Novonikolaevsk
DOI: 10.31518/2618-9100-2019-6-5
The history of police and penitentiary system in Novonikolaevsk is poorly studied, the available works reveal factual scarcity and an almost complete absence of sources. In that regard, one of the objectives of this research is to study archival holdings on the topic and introduce new sources into scientific circulation. The purpose of the article is to clarify, on the basis of new facts, the process of formation of the Novonikolayevsk police and two penitentiary institutions located in the city – the prisoner transfer facility and the provincial prison. First of all, the material and technical side of this process is considered, since in a city that appeared from scratch and within a short period, state institutions were also compelled to create their material base from scratch. The consideration of penitentiary and police institutions in the article is justified by their institutional kinship: at the provincial level, responsibility for setting up the police as well as prisons – transit and provincial ones – used to rest with the governor. It was reflected in the documentation, which provides almost the only block of sources for researching the topic. This topic is relevant not only because it has been studied insufficiently. The police and the penitentiary system are the necessary spheres of public administration, and the process of their formation in Novonikolayevsk reflects the logic of certain managerial decisions not only in these structures but also concerning the developing city. Novonikolaevsk is a vivid example of urbanization in Siberia, an economic and transport center that was able to accumulate in itself such “specific” functions as transporting and keeping prisoners.
Publishing: 30/12/2019
How to cite: Minina N.A. “Long journey, prison-house”: to the Question of the Formation of the Police and Prison Authorities in Novonikolaevsk // Historical Courier, 2019, No 6 (8). P. 67–80. [Available online:] http://istkurier.ru/data/2019/ISTKURIER-2019-6-05.pdf
Links: Issue 6 2019
Keywords: Novonikolayevsk; police department; prisoner transfer facility; Novonikolayevsk branch of the provincial prison