Verujs

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The word verujs (For. Kryf. /ˈvɛˌr, -rjs/) refers to a number of historical and now unlawful and unconstitutional practices that were used as punishments in Kryfona prisons, particularly between the years 1832 and 1960. Although verujs practices varied by prison, they shared in common an intent to dehumanize and humiliate prisoners, in violation of both international standards and the then-established law regarding prisoners rights in the Kryfona Kingdom. Many of the verujs practices employed in Kryfona prisons during this period were essentially torture, ranging from beating to overexposure to cold and heat, to sensory deprivation, to malnourishment and dehydration, and other such things. Despite their open-secret nature, and the widespread accounts of the use of such methods in prisons across the Kingdom, no efforts were seriously made to curtail the practices until the Prison Labor Act, 1936. Even so, owing to widespread opposition, it was not until the later Prison Labor Act, 1960, that the practices were finally abolished, made unlawful, and reclassified as torture.

The use of verujs practices against prisoners was loosely status based, but often completely random. To start out and most frequently, use of verujs was confined to the most severe offenders in prisons. Gradually, however, use against prisoners broadened, and by the early 1920s it was not unheard of for prisoners who acted "abnormally," in "bad faith," or simply "in a detrimental manner" to prison staff or others to have verujs practices done on them, regardless of sentencing. In some prisons, this went as far as prisoners being randomly selected–and tortured–for no reason other than the enjoyment of guards. After 1925, abuse of the verujs practices was likely as widespread–if not more so–than "legitimate" usage against prisoners. Efforts to restrict the practice legislatively and politically by watchdog organizations and the more politically liberal members of the Kryfonsparliszaiye and their respective provincial legislatures followed, but were unsuccessful.

The widespread nature of the verujs practices in Kryfona prisons is well documented, as are the effects of its effectively ubiquitous nature in them. Over five-thousand deaths are associated with their use in Kryfona prisons from 1850 onward; it is estimated that over six-thousand prisoners were killed by or because of the use of verujs overall. Because of spotty record keeping, the number of those wounded by use of verujs practices is unclear, although it is the view of most Kryfona historians that the number is at least double than the number of fatalities. Usage of verujs practices also contributed to a significant prison mental health crisis–prisons saw rates of PTSD, anxiety disorders, depression, and suicide attempts skyrocket during the height of practice between 1920 and 1960, and then again when the Prison Labor Act, 1960 established new regulations for prisons and allowed prisoners to receive better medical care.

History

Origins

The origin of verujs practices as an idea remain largely uncertain, although the ideas themselves certainly do not. Many of the ideas that came to be a part of "standard" verujs were pioneered in the several periods of war in the decades before the first actual usages of verujs in Kryfona prisons. Captured Arieles soldiers that were found guilty of high crimes during the Korusso War during the late 1750s often found themselves tortured in many of the ways that came to be a part of verujs; likewise many of the soldiers who did this torturing became prison wardens or guards or in a few cases such as that of Taxo Eidse, overseers of portions of the prison system altogether. These soldiers carried with them the practices, and it is likely that they passed them on to guards or simply enacted the practices of their own accord; where this began, however, is a mystery.

The first "attestations" of verujs-like practices in Kryfona prisons began not long after the end of the Korusso War, but the historical record gives few if any concrete dates on the subject until the last decade of the 1700s. A diary entry by a prison guard at the Kavadaz Prison Complex near modern Uszyaa, dated at 17 May, 1794 and describing the use of excess heat to punish prisoners, is widely considered to be the first unquestionable proof of what would become the verujs practices. Other allegations of verujs-like punishments being doled out are said to have occurred in the Greater Nylzsryf Prison Complex in the mid-1780s; in the Semetys Prison Complex of Tvaqyr beginning in "1787 or 1788"; and among the Tauba Prison Complex in "1785 or so" among others. Eyewitness testimonies of these are often cited, but there is no written record of such events taking place in any prison before the 17 May, 1794 diary entry. It is likely that such events did take place, to be clear; however, this is predominantly speculation based on the Kryfona prison system at the time.

What is clear is that, by the late 1790s and early 1800s, what would eventually develop into verujs was already brooding in the Kryfona prison system among guards and overseers. Likewise, it is almost a certainty that there was no element of location involved in the development of verujs–that is to say that it was not spread from one prison to another, broadly speaking, but developed in most of them at the same time and came of age at roughly the same time as well. Although it would not be called verujs for another three decades, the foundations of verujs were essentially in place by the turn of the century.

Proto-verujs: 1800-1830

The proto-form of verujs is generally considered to have begun in the year 1800, around when the practices that would come to define it became more acceptable among the prison section of

Early-verujs: 1830-1860

Verujs comes of age: 1860-1920

Golden age and twilight: 1920-1960

Practices

Although there was not and currently is not a concrete definition of what is and is not verujs, when used, verujs typically refers to any practice that was inherently abusive, dehumanizing, or humiliating to prisoners, or otherwise qualifies as torture that was used during the period between 1832 and 1960. This includes a broad swathe of practices, some of which were unique to certain prisons and others of which were so commonplace as to be essentially required. This list should not be considered comprehensive in nature; only particularly widespread or otherwise noteworthy practices are noted here.

Attested in the original Prison Labor Act, 1930

  • Unprompted beating, or beating for minor infractions
  • Excessive exposure to heat, cold, or other weather
  • Intentional dehydration and malnourishment
  • Sensory deprivation
  • Excessive sleep deprivation
  • Psychological torture, including the use of drugging, false accusations, and other similar means

Attested in the Prison Labor Act, 1960

  • Use of deafening or damaging sound
  • Withholding of medical care
  • Withholding of medication or another such treatment that is necessary for an inmate's survival
  • Intentional inducing of severe and potentially fatal allergies
  • Intentional choking to the point of inducing unconsciousness or medical damage
  • Forced sexual violence including rape by inmates, guards, or other means
  • Threats of sexual or physical violence
  • Intentional failure to protect inmates from perceived or likely physical harm by other inmates

Attested to by prisoners or locals

  • Hooding, particularly unprompted hooding
  • Intentionally undercooked or rotten food being served to inmates
  • Blackmail of inmates through embarrassing pictures taken of them and threats of revealing information that would endanger or cause harm to an inmate
  • Blackmail of inmates through illegally seizing mail or money intended for them, with the promise of returning it to them only after they do a favor
  • Forcing inmates to stand in snow or water for extensive periods of time
  • Use of heated objects to induce burns or scarring

Overview

The most "common" attested practices in the Kryfona prison system after 1900 were beating, heat exposure, dehydration, and sensory deprivation. These four are generally considered to be the core of the verujs system, as they were essentially ubiquitous among all prisons in the Kryfona Kingdom prior to the outlawing of verujs practices. Despite the largely-random nature of the use of verujs post-1920, there was usually a split in what punishments were doled out specifically, and this split was based almost entirely on prisoner status. Prisoners who had been sentenced for longer time periods or had been sentenced on worse charges were usually singled out for the more "individual" and consequential punishments, particularly sensory deprivation, malnourishment, and inadequate medical treatment by doctors. Conversely, less serious offenders were usually subject to less personalized acts, such as sleep deprivation and unprompted beatings.

The use of threats, particularly of a sexual nature but also of a physical nature, was common in prisons during the later portion of the verujs period. Around 67 percent of inmates that were interviewed as a part of a 1963 investigation into the use of verujs in Kryfona prisons related that they had been repeatedly threatened with either violence or sexual assault, and 83 percent said they had been threatened in such a way at least one time. In some cases, particularly in crowded prisons, guards instead opted to simply not protect inmates, leaving them to the mercy of others. Other times, inmates struck deals with guards to have them look the other way in such matters. Instances of both were attested to even after the illegalization of the verujs practices.