American employees regularly visited our office to check our activities, because our organization was sponsored from the US budget.
One day, when I was sitting in my office in the winter, my boss approached me and said that one recidivist in prison required a meeting with me. The next day I went to the city prison.
I usually went to correctional colonies, where the persons sentenced were serving their sentences. This time I had to go to the prison, where there were persons for whom they had not yet been sentenced, or who were waiting to be sent to a colony. Everything here breathed uncertainty, gloomy and hopeless longing. Prisoners dressed in black robes, behind the fence of the checkpoint, inside the prison yard, did their fatigue duties. There was a grim longing for freedom in the air. I passed a checkpoint, then a yard, another checkpoint, another yard and entered the prison building.
It was damp and smelled like mold.
I was asked to go to the prison warden’s office.
A gray-haired man with a stern face and clear eyes sat in the office.
– The person who wants to see you is an old recidivist, a wolf who brought a lot of grief to people. Why are you defending him?
– I do not defend him, but his rights. If his rights have been violated, then we must correct the error.
They provided me with two security guards with the Kalashnikov gun, and we went to the recidivist. A Russian grandfather of about 60 years old was sitting on a chair, his face was arrogant, his faded eyes were sly, and his hands resembled sled-hammers.
– Hello. You said that you wanted to meet with me to discuss your criminal case; – I said and then called my name and surname.
– Surely you are not the Jana, are you? – The recidivist laughed. – You are very popular here. Our guys in prison told me so much about you that you helped a lot to many people, I thought that there such an adult wolf would come, but you look like a kind angel.
– I can leave if you no longer need my help, – I said, shrugging my shoulders.
– No, let me tell you what kind of help I need.
– Tell me what you need.
The grandfather talked for two hours, I wrote down for him, asked questions, then he said:
– Girl, I don’t know why, but I believe you. I think you really will help me. I am an old man who reads people like books. You are a pure soul.