Suvalkų kalėjimo istorija

LTKada Suvalkuose buvo įsteigtas kalėjimas, tikslių žinių nėra, nes miesto valstybiniame archyve yra išlikę tik 1838–1863 metų dokumentai. Manoma, kad jis šioje vietovėje buvęs jau 1823 m. Mat iš to laikotarpio yra išlikęs kalinių aprūpinimo maisto produktais kainoraštis. 1826 m. caras Aleksandras I Suvalkų miesto plane buvo numatęs statyti kalėjimą, bet dėl nežinomų kliūčių to padaryti nepavyko. Šis kalėjimas lenkiškai vadintas więzienie detencyjne, tai yra areštinė. Vėliau pakeista į kalinimo namus bokšte (dom osadzenia w wieży). Kalėjimas buvo žydo Šajos Lipskio (Szaja Lipski) mūriniame dviejų aukštų name nr. 128 (1835 m. mieste buvo 35 mūriniai namai), dabar turbūt Gegužės 1-osios (1 Maja) gatvė. Šioje gatvėje jau nėra namų, statytų minėtame šimtmetyje [p. 117].

ENThe first mention of the prison in Suvalkai was recorded in 1823. Tsar Alexander I included the construction of this prison in the plan for the development of the city. However, the plan was implemented only eighty years later. In the first years, people were imprisoned there for minor crimes: contraband of sugar, snuff, tea and salt. In July 1838, 31 people were detained there, while in 1851 - 142. The biggest number of people were imprisoned in the years 1863-1866, in the new extension of the hospital of St. Peter and Paul. Most of the prisoners (about 800) were the participants of January Uprising, who gradually were sent to Siberia. Difficult conditions and poor nutrition (breakfast and dinner only) resulted in frequent escapes of the prisoners. Based on the surnames of the people staying there, it can be concluded that the criminals were: Poles, Lithuanians, Jews, Russians and Germans. Until the outbreak of World War I, famous Lithuanians were imprisoned in Suvalkai: Vincas Mickevičius-Kapsukas, Zigmas Aleksa-Angarietis, Leonas Prūseika, Pijus Grigaitis. After Poland regained its independence, many Lithuanians went there without a trial for various offenses. On November 15, 1919 Geležytė and Didžiulytė were imprisoned for 9 months for magazines brought from Lithuania. 18 village leaders who refused to take an oath to the Polish authorities were imprisoned at the same time. On February 6, 1920 Motiejus Simonaitis, the priest of the Punskas parish, was imprisoned there. Lithuanians who served in the Lithuanian army and fought for the independence of their homeland were imprisoned for many months. Petras Valinčius and Kazys Mielkus, the residents of Vaitakiemis, were imprisoned for smuggling Lithuanian books from Lithuania to Poland. Stasys Vencius, the vicar of Punskas parish, was imprisoned for similar offenses.On April 15, 1925 Petras Dapkus, the citizen of Lithuania, was sentenced to death for spying for Lithuania as well as for two other crimes. The sentence was carried out. Povilas Pečiulis, from Agurkiai, Seinai County, got death penalty which was replaced by life imprisonment. He served his sentence in the Holy Cross until the outbreak of the war. During the German occupation in Seinai County, the occupants murdered 446 residents. After the end of the war, the new authorities repressed the local residents: in 1944, in Kampuočiai, Soviet soldiers raped and murdered Astrauskaitė, in Kreivėnai Soviet soldiers murdered Vincas Preleika. In 1946, in Šlynakiemis, a Polish soldier from Punskas fatally shot Vladas Malinauskas. The following year, in Ožkiniai, a Polish soldier from Punskas murdered Vytautas Zimnickas, who was a Lithuanian citizen. Many people were imprisoned and transported to the west of Poland for helping the Lithuanian partisans. In 1944 and 1945, the Russians exiled residents of Seinai County to Siberia. The author of the article cannot access archival materials. However, he would like to mention the cruel crime committed in 1955. The girl was murdered on Lake Seivai. There were other crimes such as fatal injury, horse theft, fights, driving under the influence of alcohol, road accidents, etc. Currently 230 officers and 14 civilians work in the Suvalkai prison, which has room for 705 detainees in 12 wards.