When the country is at war and the state is building prisons: the paradox of Ukrainian reality
At a time when Ukraine is fighting a heroic struggle for its survival, when every penny from the budget should work for the protection of citizens’ lives, economic stability and assistance to the army, the government unexpectedly announces a new initiative – the construction of prisons. This project, despite the obvious shortage of funds and under martial law, raises many questions: why now? Who will be the beneficiary? And is it really a priority for a country fighting for its independence? The acuteness of the situation is added by the fact that now it is absolutely necessary to finance critical needs — the army, infrastructure restoration, support for children, pensioners, people with disabilities, IDPs, etc. Against this background, the construction of prisons looks like a frank cognitive dissonance, which causes outrage in society.
An initiative to build new prisons
The government of Ukraine announced its intention to build new prisons “because no amount of repairs help to solve the situation in some detention facilities.” This decision is also argued by the fact that it is caused by the need to update the penitentiary system, which remained a legacy of the Soviet Union. Minister of Justice and Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olga Stefanishyna during a speech in the Verkhovna Rada statedthat even the best repairs of existing institutions are not able to bring them into compliance with modern European standards.
According to Stefanishyna, during the year more than three thousand prisoners received improved conditions of detention, which was positively noted in the report of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on the implementation of decisions of the European Court of Human Rights. At the same time, she emphasized that, despite the improvements, these measures are only temporary, and the construction of new penitentiary institutions is considered a long-term solution. The modern penal system inherited from the Soviet Union, even under conditions of major renovation, does not meet the necessary standards that guarantee order and control.
The argument that the construction of new prisons will bring Ukraine closer to European standards looks like a screen for the implementation of an unpopular and, to put it mildly, inappropriate project. However, behind the beautiful statements about European integration and standards, there is a frank dissonance. Ukraine is at war, its budget is bursting at the seams, and society is barely making ends meet. In such conditions, any attempt to spend money not on defense, not on support for the victims and not on the restoration of the destroyed infrastructure causes outrage. Moreover, the government directly admits that there are no funds for the construction of prisons in the budget, so it intends to seek extra-budgetary financing. But who exactly is ready to invest in the prison system of a warring country? And won’t this project become another scheme to enrich a narrow circle of people?
Undoubtedly, the penitentiary system needs reforms. However, can there be questions about the construction of new prisons at a time when the country is at war? How to explain to the military on the front line that instead of drones and ammunition, for which volunteers often raise funds, the state directs resources to concrete walls? How to explain to refugees that their homes have not yet been rebuilt, and new prisons will be built? These issues are not only financial resources, but also moral responsibility to citizens.
Statistics of priorities
The situation with the detention of prisoners in Ukraine raises many questions not only about its effectiveness, but also about the priorities of state policy. In accordance with data Council of Europe, in 2020 Ukraine entered the top ten European countries with the largest number of people in prisons. At that time, there were 52,973 people in prisons. As of October 2024, this number has decreased to 39,453 people, but the structure of detention still remains complex: more than 15,000 are detained in pre-trial detention centers, 23,000 in penal colonies, and only a few dozen in educational and correctional centers.
The issue of life imprisonment is particularly acute. Ukraine ranks first among European countries in terms of the number of people sentenced to “promising” life imprisonment. We have more than 1,500 of them. For comparison: in Turkey there are only 126 such convicts, in Lithuania – 118, in Hungary – 41, and in Bulgaria – only 24. Such a contrast raises questions not only about the humanity of the Ukrainian justice system, but also about the expediency of spending on the maintenance of these persons.
According to the Ministry of Justice, the average monthly expenses for one prisoner in Ukraine constitute UAH 14,165, which is twice the minimum wage (UAH 7,100). In 2024, 8.7 billion hryvnias have been allocated for the execution of punishments, of which 6.1 billion hryvnias are directed to the payment of personnel. This is 69.7% of all expenses. For comparison, communal services and energy carriers for this system cost the state UAH 912 million.
At the same time, spending on other important social programs, such as palliative care for the seriously ill, is significantly lower. In 2024, only UAH 5,777 per month was allocated per patient of the mobile palliative care service. This is 2.5 times less than the state spends on maintaining one prisoner. And inpatient palliative care is financed according to the new scheme – UAH 624 per day, which also demonstrates a clear disproportion in financing.
At the same time, many hospitals in Ukraine are in a terrible state, in need of major repairs and modern equipment. Wounded, sick children and people with serious illnesses often face a shortage of medicines and even basic conditions for treatment. In such a situation, it is difficult to justify prioritizing spending on the penal system when life-saving social programs are underfunded.
“He who saves on schools will build prisons”
The war dealt a catastrophic blow to the education system. In recent years, hundreds of schools across the country have been destroyed, many of them have become unfit for teaching. In addition, many schools have been in need of major repairs since long before the war. Some repairs are often funded by international donors or local communities, but a systemic government program to restore school infrastructure is woefully inadequate. Parents and teachers are forced to solve problems on their own, which should not exist in the 21st century: cold classrooms, destroyed toilets, lack of educational materials.
Against the background of these problems, state savings on schools look not only unfair, but also dangerous. Every destroyed or abandoned school is not just a loss of a building, it is a loss of opportunities for the children who will rebuild the country in the future. The lack of quality education lays the foundation for a social crisis, because children deprived of basic knowledge and skills become vulnerable to the influence of crime, poverty, and radicalization. However, despite all these challenges, the government is looking for funds to maintain prisons and even plans to build new ones.
The need for new prisons seems questionable when thousands of Ukrainian children are forced to study in emergency facilities or even remotely, due to a lack of safe and equipped schools. Instead of investing in education, which is the key to solving many social problems, the state invests in maintaining the consequences of these problems – criminalization, crime, social degradation.
So, the wise words of Otto von Bismarck – “He who saves on schools will build prisons” – are more relevant for Ukraine today than ever. The lack of proper education creates new generations who do not receive proper knowledge, lose social orientations and eventually become potential customers of the same prisons on which billions are currently being spent.
Historical experience
During the Second World War, priorities in reconstruction and construction depended on the specific needs of society and the strategic goals of states. However, historical experience shows that the construction of schools and hospitals was much more important than prisons.
In many countries, in particular in Great Britain, the USA and the USSR, during the war and immediately after its end, the priority was the reconstruction of schools and hospitals. Education was seen as a key tool for raising new generations capable of supporting economic and social recovery. Hospitals, in turn, were critically important because of the huge number of wounded and sick people who needed urgent medical care.
For example, in Great Britain, after the end of the war, the reform of the National Health Service (NHS) was introduced, which ensured access to medicine for all sections of the population. In the US, the GI Bill program after the war helped millions of veterans get an education, which became the basis for the country’s economic growth in the 1950s. At the same time, the construction of new prisons was not considered a key priority either during the war or immediately after its end. This is explained by the fact that social policy was aimed at preventing crime by improving the standard of living, access to education and medicine, and not at combating its consequences by keeping prisoners. In addition, resources such as building materials and labor were critically limited and were directed to facilities that directly affected the rebuilding of society.
After the expulsion of Nazi troops from the territory of Ukraine in 1943–1944, the priorities of the Soviet Union, particularly in Ukraine, were also focused on the restoration of critical infrastructure. The main attention was paid to the reconstruction of industrial enterprises, agriculture, bridges and railway lines. This was explained by the fact that the restoration of the economy and transport routes was key to supplying the front and ensuring the livelihood of the population. The educational sphere has also become one of the areas of recovery. In post-war Ukraine, schools were rebuilt, although this was often done in conditions of shortage of materials and funds. At the same time, the priority was to provide children with basic education, which was considered a tool of ideological influence and the formation of new citizens of the Soviet state. Classes were held even in unsuitable conditions – in destroyed buildings, clubs, and sometimes even in the open air. In addition, in the conditions of a large number of wounded and infectious diseases in the post-war period, significant resources were directed to the restoration of hospitals and field hospitals.
As for the prison system, it was part of the penal apparatus of the Soviet Union and in those days performed the function of suppressing any anti-Soviet sentiments. However, the construction of new prisons was not a priority then, the Soviet system focused more on using existing institutions and creating Gulag camps for forced labor. This historical experience demonstrates that even in the most difficult times, the attention of the state was paid to those areas that ensured the restoration of society, and not only its control.
History shows that in times of wars and crises, states that bet on education and health care came out of difficulties stronger. On the contrary, focusing on the penal system without solving the underlying social problems only deepened the crisis. The lesson of the Second World War is that true recovery is only possible through investment in human capacity, not in infrastructure to contain the effects of its decline.
Our state must change its priorities. The funds that are currently used for the construction of prisons should be directed to more important areas. This is not only economically more expedient, but also strategically correct. This is a choice not only of budgetary policy, but of moral responsibility to future generations. Today, Ukraine has a unique chance to show the world that even in the most difficult times of war, it chooses development, not stagnation. Also, war is a time to focus resources on protecting, rebuilding, and supporting those fighting for the country. Building new prisons instead of rebuilding destroyed schools or hospitals sends a dangerous signal: the state is willing to spend more on maintaining the consequences of its miscalculations than on preventing them. Prisons do not build the future, it is built by schools, hospitals, investments in human potential. In wartime, the choice should be obvious.
