MOSCOW, March 13 - RAPSI. Russia does not yet plan to establish private prisons, Federal Penitentiary Service Deputy Director Nikolai Kolesnik told reporters on Wednesday.

"Establishing private prisons is not on the current agenda," he said. "But we are considering public-private partnerships for building new penitentiary institutions."

According to Kolesnik, the service supports the recent proposal to relocate pretrial remand centers outside big cities, as some facilities use historical buildings, such as old monasteries and other structures that are part of Russia's cultural heritage.

However, the service cannot afford to do so because relocating prisons requires substantial funds, he said.

According to Kolesnik, building a remand center for 1,000 people costs 2.1 billion rubles ($68.3 million). A public-private partnership means that - if a large business or a regional authority is interested in the land where a prison is presently located - they can construct a different building for the remand center outside of town.

"This is only a verbal proposal, and no specific offers have been made so far," he said.

Meanwhile, the issue has not been taken off the agenda. It will be considered further, Kolesnik stressed. "The situation will probably change when our mentality changes, or we raise sufficient funds," he said.