The first years of activity of the Yaroslavl Society for the Benefit of Persons Released from Imprisonment 1895-1907s

Scientific article

doi 10.28995/2073-0101-2024-4-1240-1257

For citation

Jerusalemsky, Yuri Yu., Popova, Alina V. (2024). The first years of activity of the Yaroslavl Society for the Benefit of Persons Released from Imprisonment 1895-1907s, Herald of an Archivist, no. 4, pp. 1240-1257, doi 10.28995/2073-0101-2024-4-1240-1257

Jerusalemsky, Yuri Yu., Popova, Alina V., P. G. Demidov Yaroslavl State University, Yaroslavl, Russia

The first years of activity of the Yaroslavl Society for the Benefit of Persons Released from Imprisonment 1895-1907s

Abstract

In the article on the basis of the materials of the State Archive of the Yaroslavl region (GASO), which were first introduced into scientific circulation, the creation and activities in the early years of the Yaroslavl society of benefits to persons released from prison are considered. The public organization was one of the first similar societies to emerge in the Russian provinces. Retrospective, historical-genetic, historical-comparative and general scientific research methods were used. In the research literature, both local and all-Russian, the society is mentioned only fragmentarily, without a detailed analysis of its activities. The introduced unpublished sources allowed us to consider the circumstances of the emergence of the organization at the end of the XIX century, to identify its most active members, the mechanism of assistance to former prisoners, to assess the effectiveness of prison patronage at the turn of the XIX - early XX century. The opinion is refuted that it was in Yaroslavl that the first provincial charitable organization to help released prisoners emerged. For the first time the mechanism of the society's work is described, specific examples of assistance to prisoners who have served their time are given, and the society's interaction with state authorities and the public is revealed. The source analysis of the Yaroslavl society documents revealed its connection with the well-known Yaroslavl business circles, which made it possible to establish previously unknown facts of charitable activities of the regional business community. It also revealed the presence of interest in the activities of the Yaroslavl Society on the part of state structures and similar charitable organizations of other provinces. The authors proved that the activities of the Yaroslavl Prison Patronage Society in the late 19th - early 20th century reduced the likelihood of former criminals breaking the law again. The society provided assistance to released prisoners in order to reintegrate them into normal society. The circumstances of the society's emergence and a detailed analysis of the positive and negative processes during the initial stages of its work allow us to speak about the applied nature of this study. Charitable organizations occupying a similar niche are virtually non-existent in contemporary Russia. The absence of such societies complicates the return to normal life of offenders who have served their sentences and contributes to the further growth of unlawful acts with subsequent criminal liability. As practical recommendations, the authors note the possibility of translating the historical experience to solve the problem of recidivism in our days.

Keywords

Crime, prison patronage, fight against crime, Yaroslavl society of benefits to persons released from imprisonment, prison charity, Yaroslavl province, historical sources.

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About authors

Jerusalemsky Yuri Yu., Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, P. G. Demidov Yaroslavl State University, Faculty of History, Department of Russian Medieval and New History, Head of the Center for Preservation and Strengthening of Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values. Yaroslavl, Russia; State University of Education, Faculty of History, Political Science and Law, Department of Russian History, Professor, Mytishchi, Moscow Region, Russia, +7-485-230-54-52, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Popova Alina V., P. G. Demidov Yaroslavl State University, Faculty of History, Department of Russian Medieval and New History, Yaroslavl, Russia, Assistant, Yaroslavl, Russia, 8-485-230-54-52, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Grant information

The study was supported by the project of P. G. Demidov Yaroslavl State University, VIP-018.

The article was received in the editorial office on 12.03.2024, recommended for publication on 20.09.2024.