The basketball player was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison after customs agents found marijuana in her luggage.
If she isn't included in a prisoner swap between the US and Russia soon, she will have to serve her sentence at a penal colony.
The New York Times reported that her lawyer said that she was growing more afraid of the "miserable or inhumane conditions" she could face.
Here's what we know about the Russian Penal colonies.
One of the best basketball players on the planet isBrittney.
An eight-time All-Star, two-time scoring champion, two-time defensive player of the year, and a two-time defensive player of the year, the Phoenix Mercury's 6-foot-9 star center is also a two-time scoring champion and a two-time defensive
She won two gold medals in the Olympics.
She takes her talents overseas to supplement her income when she's not competing in the NBA.
The NBA star's detainment in Russia was caused by low WNBA salaries.
Each year since she graduated from college, she has gone to Russia to compete for the UMMC.
The Russian team is owned by a Putin-aligned billionaire.
In February, when she was stopped at a Moscow airport, it was the off-season for the NBA.
Russian customs agents found cannabis oil in the player's luggage, and then arrested her.
He was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison after he was convicted of drug-smuggling.
A Russian court sentenced the basketball player to nine years in prison after she was found guilty of drug charges.
The decision to appeal was never expected to free her or reduce her sentence.
The move to appeal the Russian prison sentence is not likely to free the basketball player.
Her appeal was rejected in October.
After losing her appeal, she will begin a 9-year sentence in a Russian Penal Colony.
Unless she is released in a prisoner exchange between the US and Russia, she will most likely spend some time in a Russian prison.
A prisoner exchange involving an ex-US Marine and a notorious Russian arms dealer could be the key to the release of a woman.
The Russian penal colonies are the remnants of the Soviet Union's notorious gulag system.
There are at least 35 all-women penal colonies in the country.
The source is people.
Depending on the location and leadership structure of the facility, its reputation and treatment of inmates can vary.
Prison colony No. 14 in Mordovia is brutal.
Inmates there have been accused of living among rats, being forced to watch guards burn kittens alive, and losing their fingers while sewing.
Radio Liberty is a source of Radio Free Europe.
There are disturbing similarities between the penal system and other facilities.
Access to running water and heat in more remote locations is limited by dilapidated infrastructure.
The Centre for Eastern Studies is where this information came from.
Prisoner hygiene isn't always taken care of.
Most prisoners live in close quarters with around 50 other people.
The source is people.
Russian law requires 20 square feet of personal space for each prisoner, but it is not always met in Russian prisons.
The Centre for Eastern Studies is where this information came from.
Penal colonies in Russia are known as incubators for epidemics because of their proximity to one another and lack of basic hygiene.
Tuberculosis, AIDS, and other diseases are very common.
The Centre for Eastern Studies has a puzzle.
Women in the system don't get proper medical care.
There is a source for this.
Forced labor was reintroduced by the Russian government.
The source of the news is VOA.
The majority of women cook, clean, or sew.
Past inmates in all-female Russian penal colonies have said that mandatory overtime work is actually compulsory, with guards threatening retribution if they don't sign on to work extra.
There is a source for this.
Some women are forced to work 16 or 17 hours a day, with just four hours of sleep each night.
There is a source for this.
At these facilities, torture isn't uncommon.
The Centre for Eastern Studies is where this information came from.
According to a commentary piece from the Centre for Eastern Studies, abuse is practiced on a mass scale.
If she ends up going to a penal colony, it is possible that she will have a less traumatic experience.
Ivan Melnikov, the vice president of the Russia department of the International Human Rights Defense Committee, told People that she may be allowed to coach basketball in the daytime.
The source is people.
According to people, this is not the first time that Russian soccer players have coached prisoners.
The source is people.
Inmates are given half an hour to two hours a day to chat with each other, read a book, write letters, play sports, and call friends and family, according to Melnikov.
The source is people.
Even though she has a chance at relative normality inside the colony, her experience there will be difficult.
Her lawyer told The New York Times that she was growing more fearful of the "miserable or inhumane conditions" she could face.
The New York Times is the source of this story.
Cherelle publicly voiced her concerns about her husband's mental health after they shared a disturbing conversation over the phone.
CBS News is the source of this story.
The hope that a prisoner swap between the US and Russia comes to fruition is what Cherelle and her family can do now.
A convicted arms trafficker was offered in exchange for the release of two Americans.
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