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Russian Prison Guards Walk on Glass for ‘Self-Awareness’

The exercise is part of a course that promotes “self-discovery” among the guards and helps them “defeat their own fears,” the prison service said. Press Service of the Federal Penitentiary Service in the Stavropol Region

Guards at one of Russia’s strictest prisons recently took part in a self-awareness course involving walking on glass, the prison service has said.

The Orenburg region’s prison service said the goal of the course at Penal Colony No. 6 was to promote “self-discovery” among the guards and help them “defeat their own fears.” The colony 1,500 kilometers southeast of Moscow houses prisoners with life sentences.

“Walking on glass isn’t just a fun trick but a great way to go beyond your limitations, fears and insecurities,” the regional prison service said in a statement.

“With regular practice, it’s also a path to recovery… an ideal mechanism for forming goals,” it said last Thursday.

According to its website, the colony in the town of Sol-Iletsk uses prison labor to produce souvenirs and shoes, as well as sand blocks, paving slabs and metal products. Prisoners breed cattle, pigs, rabbits and chickens, as well as grow vegetables and make pasteurized milk, cottage cheese, flour and pasta.

“Each employee shared positive feelings and impressions at the end of the session,” the prison service said.

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