The bachelor prisoners must survive for an indefinite period with the clothes they wear on the day of arrival at the detention settlement. We received a pair of sneakers every 18 months and a pair of winter shoes every five years despite the heavy labor. There is no supply of underwear. It is extremely difficult to find ways to cover the body and protect it from the cold during the winter.
The news of the death of a prisoner always attracts many prisoners from all over. They come to strip the dead person for additional pieces of clothes and often compete for provisions left by the dead person. Therefore, almost always, corpses are buried naked.
On rainy days, prisoners had to dry their clothes with their body heat because they don’t have spare clothes. During the winter, they have to pick up whatever is available to cover their already heavily patched-up clothes. Proper shoes are another rare item. Makeshift shoes from straw mats and other types of cloth are considered to be the best if rat’s hide is used for the bottom of the shoes.
This is why there is no rubbish, no waste food and no incinerators in the detention settlement.
