Prison inspectors of Western Siberia and organization of penitentiary department in the end of XIX - beginning of the XX century

The purpose of the article consists in studying of a position of provincial prison inspector in the regional administrative apparatus and in researching of local prison inspection's activity. Using microhistorical approach, structural-functional method and methods of retrospective and discourse analysis, the authors made an attempt to analyze the stages of the creation of the prison institution in Western Siberia and the scenarios of its transformation. The historical sources involved in the research including periodicals, sources of personal origin, documents of governmental agencies, archive materials and works of historians and publicists allow us to provide an overall pattern of provincial prison inspections' functioning. A logical consequence of the creation of a central prison institute was the gradual formation of provincial prison departments. Due to a number of favorable factors, the prison inspection bodies (as part of the provincial governments) were formed in 1892 in the Tomsk Governorate. In other regions of Siberia, including the Tobolsk Governorate, these regulations became effective only in 1895. The prison departments were headed by provincial prison inspectors, who held a much higher position than another heads of departments. In this regard, they were almost on the same level as the vice-governor. The authors conclude that the inspection of prisons was sufficiently extensive, ranging from inspection of penitentiaries, detention houses and transit points, control of their sanitary conditions and technical equipment, to the staffing of prison schools, churches and libraries. The West Siberian prison inspections played an important role in the production and organization of convict labor, which served as an integral part of the penitentiary process of criminal forces. The philanthropic feelings were also not alien to prison officials - a lot of work was invested by the inspectors in the development of trusteeship and charitable institutions, maintaining corporate identity within the prison department, expanding official relations at the all-Russian and international level. These prison officers played a significant role in the systematization of penitentiary regulations. Despite the fact that the thesis of the need for the existence of the prison inspections was questioned in official circles, it still survived the onslaught of criticism, proving the expediency and effectiveness of its activities, developed its own scenarios for functioning during the period of revolutionary unrest and social transformations.