Soviets claimed their prisons were harsh but humane institutions. Most often they were simply harsh. A downward spiral of overcrowding began in the mid-1980’s. Especially worrisome was the increased transmission of communicable diseases, including HIV. Under Soviet criminal law, the most common sentence was two to five years. Violent offences are nearly always alcohol-related. Indeed, nearly everyone processed through the criminal justice system is an untreated alcoholic. The Russian mafia makes a good story as it plays out in the big cities where international news media live and work. But it does not affect daily life for the millions of working poor as much as widespread extortion in the distribution of food and consumer goods, which levies a "mafia tax." Even more significant is boardroom and government corruption , and widespread tax evasion. How President Putin and his successors address this problem will largely determine the speed with which Russia moves toward "normalcy."