Jailed Pussy Riot member describes Russian prison camp 'anti-life' Everything around is grey. Even if something is another colour, all the same it has an element of grey. Everything: the buildings, food, the sky, words," said Alyokhina, a poet and ecological activist, who has a young son. Prison rules are learned by rote in a special room where a security camera ensures inmates do not fall asleep, she explained. There is a workshop where women sew for 12 hours a day in the hope of earning a maximum wage of 1,000 roubles (£20) a month. The principal topic of conversation among the women is parole: "Everything a prisoner does is to get a tick for early parole," explained Alyokhina. Women are more likely to get parole if they visit the prayer room, despite the fact that Russia is a secular state. Bonus points might also be gained by visiting the library and the psychologist, or contacting relatives. "They don't need personalities," Alyokhina complained. They need people who have got used to things. Despite the emphasis therefore being on following rules, Alyokhina, who asked last month to be transferred to solitary confinement after conflicts with fellow inmates, suggested she would not conform, saying that "we make different choices in a hopeless situation." Alyokhina and bandmate Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 23, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30, were sentenced in August to two years in prison for hooliganism motivated by religious hatred. Samutsevich was released in October on appeal. The case has garnered a great deal of international media attention with global stars such as Madonna pledging their support. President Vladimir Putin, however, has repeatedly defended what many countries see as an excessively tough verdict from criticism from Western leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel.