One of the most socially vulnerable categories in a correctional institution are elderly and disabled convicts. They have a complex set of intractable social problems and needs that pose a threat to their equal existence in the correctional institution, which they cannot resolve on their own. These convicts need various types of constant assistance (material, moral-psychological, medical, legal, penitentiary-pedagogical and other), support, and protection.

Social work with them is a priority and mandatory for a specialist; it takes on the nature of support, comprehensive services with the involvement of doctors, psychologists, educators, and representatives of social protection authorities.

Among elderly convicts, there are rarely people in whom aging is a natural physiological process of gradual decline in psychophysiological functions, withering of the body and personality changes, which is called normal old age. Naturally aging convicts are characterized by physical and mental activity, developed compensatory and adaptation mechanisms, and a high ability to work.

Often, convicts who show significant pathological deviations in the aging process associated with various diseases, violations of compensatory and adaptive mechanisms, disharmony of life processes and their manifestations are serving their sentences in a correctional institution. The restructuring of the mechanisms of higher nervous activity that occurs during aging forms the basis of age-related changes in human mental activity and behavior. First of all, this concerns such a complex phenomenon as intelligence. In old age, the most important becomes the ability to solve problems related to the use of already accumulated experience and information. In the emotional sphere, there is an uncontrollable tendency towards hostility and aggressiveness towards others, and the prediction of the consequences of one’s actions and the actions of others is weakened. Among the psychological processes that are most affected by age-related changes is the weakening of memory. Age-related changes can significantly change a person’s mental makeup and personality. Among the characteristics considered typical for old age are conservatism, a desire for moral teaching, resentment, egocentrism, withdrawal into memories, self-absorption, which is aggravated by imprisonment.

Elderly convicts are heterogeneous in terms of education level, work experience, health status, marital status, number of criminal records and total time spent in prison. Most of them do not have sufficient work experience or the right to receive an old-age pension. All this causes them uncertainty about their future, as well as a fear of old age and a hostile attitude towards it, which is especially aggravated among the lonely, as well as the sick and physically infirm.

A social work specialist must take into account the general features and characteristics of elderly convicts and carry out an individual approach to them when implementing various technologies and measures of psychological and pedagogical influence, taking into account the general patterns of aging and the individual uniqueness of the elderly person.

Along with elderly convicts, convicts who are disabled serve their sentences in correctional institutions. A large number of convicted disabled people are often sick or have chronic diseases, half of them experience difficulties in everyday services and cannot do without outside help. An impressive part of the considered category of convicts are not only socially maladapted, but also deprived of social connections. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account that the main of all social problems at the personal level - disability, for objective reasons is completely impossible to resolve, therefore, rehabilitation and educational measures should be supplemented with psychological assistance in changing attitudes towards them and finding opportunities for self-compensation and self-realization in the current circumstances.

In penitentiary institutions, to one degree or another, it is difficult to carry out social work with convicted disabled people due to their social limitations, which must be taken into account by the social worker:

1. Physical restriction or isolation of a disabled person. This is due to either physical, sensory, or intellectual and mental disabilities that prevent him from moving independently or orienting himself in space.

2. Labor segregation, or isolation. Due to their pathology, an individual with disabilities has extremely limited access to jobs or no access at all.

3. Low income. These people are forced to exist either on low wages or on benefits that cannot be sufficient to ensure a decent standard of living for the individual.

4. Spatial-environmental barrier. The organization of the living environment itself is not yet friendly towards disabled people.

5. Information barrier. Disabled people have difficulty obtaining information, both general and relevant directly to them.

6. Emotional barrier. Unproductive emotional reactions of others regarding a disabled person. (footnote: Kuznetsov M.I., Ananyev O.G. Social work with convicts in correctional institutions. – Ryazan. 2006. – P. 61-62.)

Convicts who are disabled serve their sentences in correctional institutions of various types and regimes. In most cases, these are persons who, before being convicted and sent to prison, received an assessment of their ability to work and health status from state expert medical commissions at their place of residence. But there is also a category of convicts who became disabled in the process of suppressing the criminal offenses they committed and during the execution of criminal punishment. Examination of the latter is carried out during the process of serving the sentence by territorial expert and medical commissions at the location of the correctional institutions.

A medical and social examination of a convicted person is carried out upon his written application addressed to the head of the MSE public service institution.

The application of the convicted person, the referral to medical examination of a medical institution of the penal system and other medical documents confirming health problems are sent by the administration of the institution where the convicted person is being held to the territorial institutions of the state service of medical examination. To draw up an individual rehabilitation program for a disabled person, examination of convicts in institutions of the state service MSE is carried out in the presence of a representative of the administration of the correctional facility where convicts sent for examination are serving their sentences.

If a convicted person is recognized as disabled, an MSE certificate in the established form is sent to the correctional institution and stored in the personal file of the convicted person.

An extract from the certificate of examination of the civil service institution of the ITU of the convicted person recognized as disabled, as well as the results of determining the degree of loss of professional ability, the need for additional types of assistance, is sent within three days from the date of establishment of disability to the body providing pensions at the location of the correctional institution, for assignment, recalculation and organization of pension payment. In the event of release from a correctional institution of a convicted person whose disability has not expired, an ITU certificate is issued to him.

In his work with elderly and disabled prisoners, a social work specialist focuses on their inherent positive qualities (their experience, knowledge, general erudition, etc.) in order to neutralize the negative features of the aging process or chronic illness. This can be achieved by making their life active. Therefore, special attention should be paid to organizing the free time of this category of convicts, which they will need in freedom, especially those who will be sent to homes for the elderly and disabled. To maintain a certain level of intellectual functioning, it is important to involve these convicts in self-education. The preservation of psychophysical functions is achieved through feasible activities and occupational therapy, the development of intellectual interests, and the constant expansion of erudition.

A significant place in working with elderly and disabled convicts in a correctional institution is occupied by the organization and implementation of health-improving and preventive measures with them, including, along with measures of a purely medical nature, also socio-psychological and socio-pedagogical measures.

Sanitary educational work is carried out using various forms and methods: lectures, conversations, consultations, loud reading of literature and radio broadcasting, publication of sanitary bulletins, wall newspapers, memos, the use of slogan posters, slides, filmstrips, photo exhibitions, film demonstrations, etc.

According to Art. 103 of the Penal Code of the Russian Federation, convicted men over 60 years of age and convicted women over 55 years of age, as well as convicted persons who are disabled people of the first and second groups, can be employed only at their request in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation on labor and the legislation of the Russian Federation on social protection of disabled people . Therefore, when involving this category of convicts in productive work, it is necessary to take into account the physiological capabilities of the aging organism and the general state of psychophysical functions (memory, perception, thinking, imagination, attention). The penal legislation provides for working convicts with disabilities of the first and second groups, as well as elderly convicts, certain benefits:

increasing the duration of annual paid leave to 18 working days;

recruitment to work without pay only at their request;

increasing the size of the guaranteed minimum to 50% of their accrued wages, pensions and other income.

Particular attention must be paid to the psychological and practical preparation of elderly and disabled convicts for release from correctional institutions.

Activities to prepare convicts for release include several stages:

1. Registration of convicts released at the end of their sentence;

2. The main element of preparing elderly and disabled convicts for release from correctional institutions is documentation. This is to provide convicts released from correctional institutions with all the necessary documents. The main one, without which it is impossible to resolve any issue related to the resocialization of a convicted person, is the passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation. Issues of obtaining passports are relevant for all categories of those who have lost it for various reasons;

3. Restoration of socially useful connections of convicts (sending requests to the police department for this purpose, correspondence with relatives, etc.). Of particular importance in this case is the interaction of a social work specialist with the heads of detachments, as well as employees of other departments of the correctional institution;

4. Conducting individual conversations with each person being released, during which life plans for the future are clarified. In addition, the procedure for employment, the rights and responsibilities of citizens during the job search are explained, issues of household arrangements, etc. are clarified;

5. Registration of social cards for each convicted person with mandatory issuance upon release. Both specialists from the administration of the penitentiary institution and other services participate in drawing up a social map. Maps are compiled to ensure full accounting of persons released from the institution for submission to local government bodies, employment institutions, social protection of the population, health care and other institutions and organizations at the place of residence;

6. Payment for the convict’s travel to the destination upon release. If necessary, escort to the train and purchase of travel documents are provided;

7. Development of methodological materials containing information necessary for those released on issues of social services, medical care, paperwork (passports, disability, registration at the place of residence), employment, social support. This methodological material allows a person being released from a penal institution to form certain knowledge about social reality.

9. It is also necessary to identify convicts who have the right to receive a pension and take timely measures to provide them with pensions after release. Pension legislation distinguishes two types of disability pensions: labor pensions; state pensions. After the release of a pensioner from places of imprisonment, the pension file is sent to his place of residence or place of stay at the request of the body providing pensions, based on the application of the pensioner, a certificate of release from places of imprisonment and a registration document issued by the registration authorities.

Basic documents that need to be prepared by a social work specialist to assign pensions:

Statement by the convicted person;

Convict's passport;

Certificates confirming the place of stay or actual residence of a citizen on the territory of the Russian Federation;

Insurance certificate of state pension insurance;

Documents on labor activity - work book; a certificate of average monthly earnings for periods of activity for calculating the amount of pension benefits;

Documents establishing disability and the degree of limitation of ability to work;

Information about disabled family members, death of the breadwinner; confirming family relations with the deceased breadwinner; that the deceased was a single mother; about the death of the other parent.

A social work specialist draws up the necessary documents and sends them to the pension authorities, monitors the timely transfer of pensions and takes measures to eliminate deficiencies. If the convicted person does not have a work book and other documents necessary for the assignment and recalculation of a pension, requests are sent to search for these documents. If work experience cannot be confirmed or there is no work experience, a state social pension is assigned upon reaching the age of 65 years for men and 55 years of age for women, or a state social disability pension.

Every elderly or disabled convict must clearly understand where he is going after release, what awaits him, what conditions will be created for him and how he should behave in them. Frail and disabled persons who are unable to independently go to their place of residence after release are accompanied by medical service employees. Preparatory work is being carried out with persons who do not have family or relatives to send them to homes for the elderly and disabled after their release from the correctional facility. It is important not only to draw up the relevant documents, but also to tell the convicts what these institutions are and what the order of life is like there. It is important to clarify that in institutions of this type, constant control is established over compliance with the order of movement of wards by management, doctors, and the police officer on duty.

For those who cannot be sent to nursing homes, in the absence of family and relatives, measures must be taken to provide them with a home or establish guardianship after their release from the correctional facility.

An important formal element aimed at the successful resocialization and social adaptation of convicts of retirement age, disabled people and the elderly who are released from a correctional facility is the preparation and issuance of a “Memo to the Released Person.” Its structure may include: advice from a psychologist; rights and obligations of released citizens; information about the release procedure; information about the employment service; about pension provision; about going to court; about the provision of possible medical assistance; useful information (about free canteens, night shelters, social assistance services, dispensaries, helplines, passport services, etc.)

Thus, the provision of social assistance to convicts of retirement age, disabled people and the elderly in correctional institutions is a logically structured system of social activities. At the same time, the practical preparedness of this category for liberation is of great importance. Its effectiveness is essential in resolving issues of social, everyday, labor rehabilitation and their social adaptation to life in freedom.

Questions for self-control

1.Name the main areas of social work with convicts in correctional institutions.

2. Describe the specifics of social work with juvenile convicts.

3. Highlight the main forms of social work with convicted women in correctional institutions.

4.What is the main content of social work with elderly and disabled convicts in correctional institutions?

Kuznetsov M.I., Ananyev O.G. Social work with convicts in correctional institutions: textbook. a manual for beginners in social work of the penitentiary system - Ryazan, 2006.

Regulations “On the social protection group for convicts of a correctional institution of the penal system” dated December 30, 2005 N 262

Social work in the penal system: Textbook/S.A. Luzgin, M.I. Kuznetsov, V.N. Kazantsev and others; Under general edited by Yu.I. Kalinina. - 2nd ed., rev. – Ryazan, 2006.

Social work in penitentiary institutions: Textbook / Edited by prof. A.N. Sukhova. – M., 2007. - 300 p.

Criminal Executive Code of the Russian Federation (1997).

Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (1996).

One of the most socially vulnerable categories in a correctional institution (PI) are elderly and disabled convicts. They have a complex set of intractable social problems and needs that pose a threat to their equal existence in the correctional institution, which they cannot resolve on their own. These convicts need various types of constant assistance (material, moral-psychological, medical, legal, penitentiary-pedagogical and other), support, and protection.

Social work with them is a priority and mandatory for a specialist; it takes on the nature of support, comprehensive services with the involvement of doctors, psychologists, educators, and representatives of social protection authorities.

Among elderly convicts, there are rarely people in whom aging is a natural physiological process of gradual decline in psychophysiological functions, withering of the body and personality changes, which is called normal old age. Naturally aging convicts are characterized by physical and mental activity, developed compensatory and adaptation mechanisms, and a high ability to work.

Often, convicts who show significant pathological deviations in the aging process associated with various diseases, violations of compensatory and adaptive mechanisms, disharmony of life processes and their manifestations are serving their sentences in a correctional institution. The restructuring of the mechanisms of higher nervous activity that occurs during aging forms the basis of age-related changes in human mental activity and behavior. First of all, this concerns such a complex phenomenon as intelligence. In old age, the most important becomes the ability to solve problems related to the use of already accumulated experience and information. In the emotional sphere, there is an uncontrollable tendency towards hostility and aggressiveness towards others, and the prediction of the consequences of one’s actions and the actions of others is weakened. Among the psychological processes that are most affected by age-related changes is the weakening of memory. Age-related changes can significantly change a person’s mental makeup and personality. Among the characteristics considered typical for old age are conservatism, a desire for moral teaching, touchiness, egocentrism, withdrawal into memories, self-absorption, which in the case we are considering is aggravated by imprisonment.

Elderly convicts are heterogeneous in terms of education level, work experience, health status, marital status, number of criminal records and total time spent in prison. Most of them do not have sufficient work experience or the right to receive an old-age pension. All this causes them uncertainty about their future, as well as a fear of old age and a hostile attitude towards it, which is especially aggravated among the lonely, as well as the sick and physically infirm.

A social work specialist must take into account the general features and characteristics of elderly convicts and carry out an individual approach to them when implementing various technologies and measures of psychological and pedagogical influence, taking into account the general patterns of aging and the individual identity of the elderly person.

Along with elderly convicts, disabled convicts are serving their sentences in correctional institutions. A large number of convicted disabled people are often sick or have chronic diseases, half of them experience difficulties with everyday services and cannot do without outside help. An impressive part of the considered category of convicts is not only socially maladjusted, but also deprived of social connections. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account that the main of all social problems at the personal level - disability for objective reasons - cannot be resolved completely, therefore, rehabilitation and educational measures should be supplemented with psychological assistance in changing attitudes towards the state of one’s health and searching for opportunities for self-compensation and self-realization in the current circumstances .

In penitentiary institutions, conducting social work with convicted disabled people is to one degree or another hampered by their social limitations, which must be taken into account by the social worker:

• ? physical restriction or isolation of a disabled person. This is due to either physical, sensory, or intellectual and mental disabilities that interfere with independent movement or orientation in space;
• ? labor segregation, or isolation. Due to his pathology, an individual with disabilities has extremely narrow access to jobs or does not have it at all;
• ? poverty. These people are forced to exist either on low wages or on benefits that cannot be sufficient to ensure a decent standard of living for the individual;
• ? spatial-environmental barrier. The organization of the living environment itself is not friendly towards the disabled person;
• ? information barrier. Disabled people have difficulty obtaining information, both general and relevant directly to them;
• ? emotional barrier. Unproductive emotional reactions of others regarding a disabled person.

Convicts who are disabled serve their sentences in correctional institutions of various types and regimes. In most cases, these are persons who, before being convicted and sent to prison, received an assessment of their ability to work and health status from state expert medical commissions at their place of residence. But there is also a category of convicts who became disabled in the process of suppressing the criminal offenses they committed and during the execution of criminal punishment. Examination of the latter is carried out in the process of serving the sentence by territorial expert and medical commissions at the location of the correctional institutions.

A medical and social examination of a convicted person is carried out upon his written application addressed to the head of the MSE public service institution.

The application of the convicted person, the referral to medical examination of a medical institution of the penal system and other medical documents confirming health problems are sent by the administration of the institution where the convicted person is being held to the territorial institutions of the state service of medical examination. To draw up an individual rehabilitation program for a disabled person, examination of convicts in institutions of the state service MSE is carried out in the presence of a representative of the administration of the correctional facility where convicts sent for examination are serving their sentences.

If a convicted person is recognized as disabled, an MSE certificate in the established form is sent to the correctional facility and stored in the personal file of the convicted person.

An extract from the certificate of examination of the civil service institution of the ITU of a convicted person recognized as disabled, as well as the results of determining the degree of loss of professional ability to work, the need for additional types of assistance, is sent within three days from the date of establishment of disability to the body providing pensions at the location of the correctional institution, for appointment , recalculation and organization of pension payment. In the event of release from a correctional institution of a convicted person whose disability has not expired, an ITU certificate is issued to him.

In his work with elderly and disabled prisoners, a social work specialist focuses on their inherent positive qualities (their experience, knowledge, general erudition, etc.) in order to neutralize the negative features of the aging process or chronic disease. This can be achieved by making their life active. Therefore, special attention should be paid to organizing the free time of this category of convicts (they will need this skill in freedom, especially those who will be sent to homes for the elderly and disabled). To maintain intelligence at a certain level, it is important to involve these convicts in self-education. The preservation of psychophysical functions is achieved through feasible activities and occupational therapy, the development of intellectual interests, and the constant expansion of erudition.

A significant place in working with elderly and disabled convicts in a correctional institution is occupied by the organization and implementation of health-improving and preventive measures with them, including, along with measures of a purely medical nature, also socio-psychological and socio-pedagogical measures.

Sanitary educational work is carried out using various forms and methods: lectures, conversations, consultations, loud reading of literature and radio broadcasting, publication of sanitary bulletins, wall newspapers, memos, the use of posters, slogans, slides, filmstrips, photo exhibitions, film demonstrations, etc.

According to Art. 103 of the Criminal Executive Code of the Russian Federation, convicted men over 60 years of age and convicted women over 55 years of age, as well as convicted persons who are disabled people of groups I and II, can be employed only at their request in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation on labor and social protection of disabled people. Therefore, when involving this category of convicts in productive work, it is necessary to take into account the physiological capabilities of the aging organism and the general state of psychophysical functions (memory, perception, thinking, imagination, attention). The penal legislation provides for working convicts - disabled people of groups I and II, as well as elderly convicts: certain benefits:

• ? increasing the duration of annual paid leave to 18 working days;
• ? recruitment to work without pay only at their request;
• ? increasing the size of the guaranteed minimum to 50% of their accrued wages, pensions and other income.

Particular attention must be paid to the psychological and practical preparation of elderly and disabled convicts for release from correctional institutions.

Preparation of convicts for release includes several stages:

• ? accounting of convicts released at the end of their sentence;
• ? The main element of preparing elderly and disabled convicts for release from correctional institutions is documentation. This is to provide convicts released from correctional institutions with all the necessary documents. The main one, without which it is impossible to resolve any issue related to the resocialization of a convicted person, is the passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation. Issues of obtaining passports are relevant for all categories of those who have lost it for various reasons;
• ? restoration of socially useful connections of convicts (sending requests to the police department for this purpose, correspondence with relatives, etc.). Of particular importance in this case is the interaction of a social work specialist with the heads of detachments, as well as employees of other departments of the correctional institution;
• ? conducting individual conversations with each person released, during which life plans for the future are clarified. In addition, the procedure for employment, the rights and responsibilities of citizens during the job search are explained, issues of household arrangements, etc. are clarified;
• ? registration of social cards for each convicted person with mandatory handing over upon release. Specialists from both the administration of the institution executing the punishment and other services participate in drawing up a social map. Cards are compiled to ensure full accounting of persons released from the institution for submission to local government bodies, employment institutions, social protection of the population, health care and other institutions and organizations at the place of residence;
• ? payment for the convict's travel to the destination upon release. If necessary, escort to the train and purchase of travel documents are provided;
• ? development of methodological materials containing information necessary for those released on issues of social services, medical care, paperwork (passports, disability, registration at the place of residence), employment, social support. This methodological material allows a person being released from a penal institution to develop certain knowledge about social reality;

It is also necessary to identify convicts who have the right to receive a pension and take timely measures to provide them with pensions after their release. Pension legislation distinguishes two types of disability pensions: labor pensions and state pensions. After the release of a pensioner from places of imprisonment, the pension file is sent to his place of residence or place of stay at the request of the body providing pensions, based on the application of the pensioner, a certificate of release from places of imprisonment and a registration document issued by the registration authorities.

Basic documents that need to be prepared by a social work specialist to assign pensions:

• ? statement of the convicted person;
• ? passport of the convicted person;
• ? certificates confirming the place of stay or actual residence of a citizen on the territory of the Russian Federation;
• ? insurance certificate of state pension insurance;
• ? documents on labor activity - work book; a certificate of average monthly earnings for periods of activity for calculating the amount of pension benefits;
• ? documents establishing disability and the degree of limitation of ability to work;
• ? information about disabled family members, death of the breadwinner; confirming family relations with the deceased breadwinner, that the deceased was a single mother; about the death of the other parent.

A social work specialist draws up the necessary documents and sends them to the pension authorities, monitors the timely transfer of pensions and takes measures to eliminate deficiencies. If the convicted person does not have a work book and other documents necessary for the assignment and recalculation of a pension, requests are sent to search for these documents. If work experience cannot be confirmed or there is no work experience, a state social pension is assigned upon reaching the age of 65 years for men and 55 years of age for women, or a state social disability pension.

Every elderly or disabled convict must clearly understand where he is going after release, what awaits him, what conditions will be created for him and how he should behave in them. Frail and disabled persons who are unable to independently go to their place of residence after release are accompanied by medical staff. Preparatory work is being carried out with persons who do not have family or relatives to send them to homes for the elderly and disabled after their release from the correctional facility. It is important not only to draw up the relevant documents, but also to tell the convicts what these institutions are and what the order of life is like there. It is important to clarify that in institutions of this type there is constant monitoring of compliance with the order of movement of wards by management, doctors, and the police officer on duty.

For those who cannot be sent to nursing homes, in the absence of family and relatives, measures must be taken to provide them with a home or establish guardianship after their release from the correctional facility.

An important formal element aimed at the successful resocialization and social adaptation of convicts of retirement age, disabled people and the elderly who are being released from a correctional facility is the preparation and issuance of a “Remote Release.” It includes: advice from a psychologist; rights and obligations of released citizens; information about the release procedure, the employment service, pensions, and going to court; about the provision of possible medical assistance; useful information (about free canteens, night shelters, social assistance services, dispensaries, “helplines”, passport services, etc.).

Thus, the provision of social assistance to convicts of retirement age, disabled people and the elderly in correctional institutions is a logically structured system of social activities. At the same time, the practical preparedness of this category of those who have served their sentences for release is of great importance. Its effectiveness is essential in resolving issues of social, everyday, labor rehabilitation and their social adaptation to life in freedom.

Security questions

1. What main areas of social work with convicts in correctional institutions can you name?

• 2. What are the specifics of social work with juvenile convicts?
• 3. What are the main forms of social work with convicted women in correctional institutions?
• 4. What are the features of social work with elderly and disabled convicts in correctional institutions?

Literature

Criminal Executive Code of the Russian Federation.

Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Order of the Ministry of Justice of Russia dated December 30, 2005 No. 262 “On approval of the Regulations on the social protection group for convicts of a correctional institution of the penal system.”

Kuznetsov M.I., Ananyev O.G. Social work with convicts in penitentiary institutions: textbook, manual for beginners in social work of penitentiary institutions. Ryazan, 2006.

Social work in the penal system: textbook, manual / S.A. Luzgin [et al.J; under general ed. Yu.I. Kalinina. 2nd ed., rev. Ryazan, 2006.

Social work in penitentiary institutions: textbook, manual / ed. prof. A.N. Sukhova. M., 2007.

• Kuznetsov M.I., Ananyev O.G. Social work with prisoners in correctional institutions. Ryazan, 2006.P. 61-62.

<*>Kokurin A.V., Slavinskaya Yu.V. On the issue of psychological support of life convicts in conditions of reform of the criminal-executory system.

Kokurin A.V., head of the laboratory for studying the problems of working with convicts of the Research Institute of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia, candidate of psychological sciences, associate professor, colonel of the internal service, head of the section "Problems of penitentiary psychology."

Slavinskaya Yu.V., Associate Professor of the Department of General Psychology of the Academy of Law and Management of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia, Candidate of Psychological Sciences, Lieutenant Colonel of the Internal Service.

The materials of the article reflect the authors' point of view on modern problems associated with psychological support for persons serving life imprisonment. The main direction of psychological support is maintaining the mental health of a life-sentenced person, on the one hand, and providing professional assistance to employees who ensure the implementation of this type of imprisonment. The relevance of developing an integrated approach to psychological support of individual preventive work with convicts serving life imprisonment is emphasized by the lack of similar domestic and foreign experience.

Key words: methodology and in-depth study of personality, personality of a person sentenced to life imprisonment, integrated approach, psychological support.

The materials of the article manifest the viewpoint of the authors to contemporary problems related to psychological support of persons highlighted to life sentence. The main direction of psychological support is preservation of psychological health of life convict on the one side and rendering professional assistance to workers providing for implementation of this type of deprivation of freedom. The topicality of working out of complex approach to psychological support of individual-preventive work with life convicts is stressed by the absence of both Russian and foreign experience in this sphere.

Key words: methods and methodology of deep study of personality, the personality of life convict, complex approach, psychological support.

The humanization of criminal and penal policy in Russia led to the development of the institution of life imprisonment (hereinafter referred to as PLS) as an alternative to the death penalty and predetermined the growth in the number of convicts serving this type of punishment<1>. The change in the number of persons sentenced to PLC (as well as those for whom the death penalty was replaced by this type of punishment) actually obeys the laws of linear dependence<2>. By 2015, the number of this category of special contingent may reach more than 1,800 people<3>.

<1>Balamut A.N. Persons sentenced to life imprisonment and ways to provide them with psychological assistance: Monograph. Moscow: PRI, 2009.
<2>The number of people sentenced to life imprisonment in Russia as of January 1 was: 2005 - 1577, 2006 - 1591, 2007 - 1628, 2008 - 1714, 2009 - 1730 people.
<3>Slavinskaya Yu.V., Zharkikh A.A. On the optimization of psychological support for persons serving life imprisonment // Collection of articles based on the materials of the problem seminar “Problems of psychological work with those sentenced to life imprisonment and ways to solve them.” M., 2010.

Analysis of materials from a special census of convicts and persons in custody, conducted by a group of employees of the Research Institute of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia under the leadership of Doctor of Law, Professor V.I. Seliverstov in 2009, allows us to obtain a generalized description of a modern prisoner sentenced to PLC.

This is a man from 30 to 50 years old (74.2% of all those sentenced to PLC); citizen of Russia (96.2%); having incomplete secondary or secondary education (75.4%); before conviction, did not work anywhere (54.2%) or was a worker (30.5%); as a rule, serving the first (48.7%) conviction (second - 27.2%, third - 12.8%). In 52.4% of cases, he was initially sentenced to PLC, in 47.6% of cases, he was initially sentenced to death. 49.4% of convicts in this category committed a crime alone. Of those who committed a crime in complicity, 19.1% of persons were organizers, 3.9% were perpetrators and 1% were accomplices. In 94.7% of cases, such a convict was not prescribed compulsory treatment (but 3.1% of those sentenced to PLC were prescribed treatment for alcoholism, 1.7% for tuberculosis, 0.4% for drug addiction, 0.1% each for substance abuse and HIV -infection). In 92.2% of cases, the person sentenced to PLC does not suffer from a mental disorder that does not exclude sanity. As a rule, he is not assigned other measures of a criminal legal nature (96.9%). 30.8% of those sentenced to prison were sick or currently sick with tuberculosis, only 0.6% of them were sick with HIV infection. In 98.1% of cases, such a convicted person is not registered as a drug user. The majority have actually served a sentence of more than 10 years - 62.3% (11.9% - from 8 to 10 years, 15.2% - from 5 to 8 years). In 5.8% of cases, he was convicted of committing a crime while serving his sentence. As a rule, able to work (85.3%). 61.3% do not work all the time due to insufficient work (27.2% are employed and have a constant supply of work). The administration is characterized negatively (48.2%) or neutrally (42.2%). Serving a sentence in a special regime correctional colony (96.7%); in 68.6% of cases - under strict conditions of detention (19.7% - under ordinary conditions; 9.9% - under light conditions). As a rule, he serves his sentence in another subject of the Russian Federation, not at his place of residence and not at the place of conviction (91.1%).

Taking into account the high degree of public danger of this category of convicts, in order to ensure safety while serving their sentences, the legislator provided for their cell-by-cell placement and maintenance. This predetermined the need for a transition from traditional collective to individual forms of work with prisoners sentenced to PLC.

An analysis of sources on the topic under study shows insufficient coverage in domestic and foreign scientific literature of issues related to the development of a scientific and methodological base and an integrated approach to psychological support for this category of convicts.

Certain issues of life imprisonment were addressed in their works by such prominent modern scientists as G.Z. Anashin, O.A. Antonov, A.I. Alekseev, V.I. Baranov, S.E. Vitsin, M.G. Detkov, S.I. Dementyev, S.V. Zhiltsov, I.Ya. Kozachenko, A.I. Dolgova, A.I. Zubkov, V.E. Kvashis, V.V. Luneev, M.P. Melentyev, S.F. Miliukov, G.L. Minakov, A.S. Mikhlin, V.S. Ovchinsky, E.F. Pobegailo, P.G. Ponomarev, V.A. Utkin, N.B. Khutorskaya, I.V. Shmarov, V.E. Southerner and others. An analysis of the works of these scientists draws attention to the fact that most of them operate only with logical and theoretical arguments. At the same time, there are virtually no specific empirical research results. As for the psychological aspects of ensuring life imprisonment, they are reflected only indirectly in the works of the above-mentioned authors (mostly lawyers)<4>.

<4>Kazakova E.N. Life imprisonment in Russia (criminal legal and penal aspects): Textbook. allowance. M.: PER SE, 2008.

Nevertheless, among the works of a “psychological orientation” known today, there is a certain interest in the specifics of psychological support for persons imprisoned for life, and the psychological characteristics of this category of convicts (Yu.V. Slavinskaya (2002), A.N. Balamut (2007)<5>, V.S. Mukhina (2009)<6>).

<5>Balamut A.N. Psychological assistance to convicts serving life sentences: Dis. ...cand. psycho. Sci. Ryazan, 2007.
<6>Mukhina V.S. Alienated: The absolute of alienation. M.: Prometheus, 2009.

It must be remembered that psychological support and support for convicts serving life imprisonment is fundamentally different in a number of respects from working with other categories of convicts<7>, namely: the specifics of their socio-psychological and criminal-psychological status, the maximum duration of the term of imprisonment, pronounced social deprivation, loss of interpersonal skills, violations of socialization and adaptation, significantly greater socio-psychological and intellectual degradation, loss of guilt for the act committed<8>etc. All this, of course, hinders the correction and resocialization of those sentenced to PLC in general.

<7>Kazakova E.N. Decree. op.
<8>Yalunin V.U. Long-term and lifelong imprisonment: legislation and application // Materials of the 14th meeting of the Steering Group for reforming the penal system of Russia. St. Petersburg; Vologda, 2002.

So, the growth in the number of convicts serving life imprisonment, their high degree of criminalization, the presence of pathopsychological changes in their personality and behavior, as well as the need to introduce various forms of individual preventive work with them indicate the relevance of developing an integrated approach to psychological support of the correctional process in cell-by-cell conditions. content. In turn, the use of life imprisonment in domestic conditions requires not only further comprehensive theoretical and applied research taking into account modern trends in criminal and penal policy, but also an in-depth study of the personality of the convict himself, serving a life sentence.

The need for such a study is also predetermined by the fact that the issue of the specifics of psychological support for persons serving life imprisonment has not yet been resolved.

The existing points of view on this matter range from the inappropriateness of applying psychological correction methods to life-sentenced prisoners in principle to the tasks of their real correction and correction<9>.

<9>See, for example: Slavinskaya Yu.V., Kokurin A.V. On the need to develop an integrated approach to psychological support for persons serving life imprisonment // Applied legal psychology. 2009. N 3.

The relevance of the research topic is also emphasized by the unresolved issue of the role of the psychologist and his functions in the psychological support of life-sentenced prisoners. Until now, the practical activities of penitentiary psychologists working with this category of convicts are limited to such areas as identifying “risk groups”, special registration, placement in cells, etc.

In our opinion, the main directions of psychological support for persons serving PLC, formulated back in 2002.<10>, boil down to the provision on the need to preserve and maintain the mental health of this category of convicts, on the one hand, and to provide professional assistance to employees of the relevant penitentiary institutions, on the other.

<10>Slavinskaya Yu.V. Mental states of convicts serving life imprisonment: Dis. ...cand. psycho. Sci. Ryazan, 2002.

Thus, purpose Our research is to develop theoretical and psychological foundations for psychological support of individual preventive work with convicts serving PLC.

We believe that the use of an integrated approach in individual psychological work with convicts serving PLC, based on the results of an in-depth study of their personality, will help to increase the effectiveness of correctional influence in conditions of imprisonment, social reintegration, and social adaptation to the conditions of serving a sentence.

Methodological approaches to conducting this research should organically combine both tested and confidently proven in practice, and new psychodiagnostic techniques that are specifically adapted to the specifics of the population being studied.

The study involves the use of various psychological tools:

• analysis of personal files of convicts;
• analysis of the results of forensic psychiatric and psychological-psychiatric examinations;
• clinical interview;
• psychodiagnostic techniques (verbal and projective);
• conversation and questionnaires.

Along with traditional ones, original diagnostic procedures and psychotechniques designed to collect empirical data will be used. The above methods and techniques are planned to be implemented in stages.

Data collection will be carried out during business trips to territorial bodies and institutions of the penal system containing persons serving life imprisonment.

In the methodological procedures for collecting significant information within the framework of the problem under study, it is planned to involve not only competent specialists from regional psychological units working in institutions where those sentenced to PLC are serving their sentences, but also specialists from other departments and services who have the information of interest to us.

In analyzing the results obtained and establishing the identified patterns, various mathematical and statistical methods and approaches will be used in the multifunctional psychodiagnostic shell "Psychometric Expert 7", developed by employees of the Interregional Psychological Laboratory of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia in the Yaroslavl Region.

In conclusion, summing up the rationale for the feasibility, as well as the theoretical and practical significance of our research, I would like to turn to the immediate prospects of life imprisonment in the context of reforming the penal system. Thus, in the speeches of the Director of the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) of Russia A.A. Reimer sounded his consistently negative position regarding the death penalty and, as a consequence, the inevitable development of the institution of life imprisonment. Considering the fact that as a result of reforming the penal system (penal system), according to the director of the Federal Penitentiary Service, it is planned to leave only two types of correctional institutions in Russia - prisons and colony settlements (with the exception of educational centers for juvenile convicts), it will be in prisons contain the overwhelming number of persons serving sentences for grave and especially grave crimes. Moreover, such convicts will differ quite seriously both in terms of terms of imprisonment, and in the severity of the crimes, and the number of convictions. Consequently, the conditions of their detention in prisons, regime requirements and restrictions, daily routine and other conditions of serving their sentences will also vary significantly.

At the same time, prisons will correspond to three types of detention regimes: general regime prisons, strict ones and implying the most stringent regime requirements - special regime prisons - including for persons serving life imprisonment<11>. Despite the fact that even now those sentenced to prison sentences are kept in cell-cell detention, we cannot agree with the position of A.A. Reimer in relation to one of the main proposed changes in the organization of their regime - the fundamental lack of employment for this category of convicts. In our opinion, the arguments with which he explains the expediency of such a decision: “lack of work is a factor that makes serving the sentence tougher,” “the convict sits in a cell for 24 hours, communicating at best with a cellmate. If he has one. If he doesn’t have one, then the walls”, “being sent to work is still some kind of outlet”, they work not “for”, but “against” the abolition of employment of those sentenced to PLS.

For specialists who know this category of convicts first-hand, the destructive consequences of many years of isolation in conditions of cell-by-cell detention in the absence of any permanent targeted employment are obvious.

Firstly, long-term isolation is a powerful component that provokes degradation of both oral speech and the psyche of life-sentenced prisoners. This position is confirmed, for example, by a noticeable improvement in written speech (due to intensive correspondence - as the only connection with the outside world) compared to oral (forced communication with an often “irritating” cellmate, occasional communication with representatives of the administration). If we remember what social stratum the majority of people serving PLS today come from (lack of education, low performance during school years, growing up in single-parent families, lack of close contact with parents or other significant adults, lack of stable employment or frequent changes of jobs when employed in low-skilled labor, etc.), then the destructive impact on their personality of idle long-term stay in prison will become clear, aggravating the situation.

Secondly, the lack of employment will mean unreimbursed material damage from those sentenced to PLC to victims of their crimes, even if this is at least partial compensation for such damage. In addition, the state also needs to reimburse the very significant costs of maintaining this category of convicts.

Thirdly, as long as the question of the parole of those sentenced to PLC remains open and theoretically possible, the organization of the conditions of their detention should be built taking into account the possible return to society of a certain number of people of this category. After 25 years of cell-by-cell detention, against the backdrop of deprivation of communication and lack of any employment, it is unlikely that it will be possible for those sentenced to prison to return to normal life in society.<12>.

<12>See, for example: Lebedev V.I. Psychology and psychopathology of loneliness and group isolation: Textbook. manual for universities. M.: UNITY-DANA, 2002.

Moreover, in our opinion, it is constant, purposeful, compulsory employment that will allow:

• firstly, persons serving PLC not only gain professional skills, but also maintain (or instill) the habit of systematic employment (especially if a significant motive for improving the quality of work performed is the need for their positive assessment for the possibility of parole);
• secondly, to emphasize the punitive component of imprisonment through compulsory, permanent and standardized employment.

It is interesting that not only penitentiary correctional officers working with this category of persons in penitentiary institutions, but also those sentenced to PLC themselves, for the most part, believe that employment while serving their sentence vital necessary.

Summarizing the above, I would like to once again focus on the fact that in the state in which this type of criminal punishment is implemented in domestic conditions, it cannot exist in principle: it is not effective, not humane, not thoughtful and senselessly cruel, before everything in relation to the society to which this category of convicts may eventually return. Consequently, life imprisonment certainly needs to be reformed, perhaps more radically than other types of criminal punishment.

However, it is advisable to finally determine the ways of this reform only based on the results of a serious analysis of the results of a comprehensive study of the personality of those sentenced to life and the influence on it of the conditions of serving this type of criminal sentence.

On approval of the training program for employees of institutions of the penal system in order to ensure respect for the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of suspects, accused and convicted persons who are disabled, and order...

MINISTRY OF JUSTICE OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

ORDER

On approval of the training program for employees of penal system institutions in order to ensure respect for the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of suspects, accused and convicted persons who are disabled, and the procedure for training employees of penal system institutions in order to ensure respect for rights, freedoms and legitimate interests suspects, accused and convicted persons who are disabled

In accordance with (Gazette of the Congress of People's Deputies of the Russian Federation and the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation, 1993, No. 33, Art. 1316; Collection of Legislation of the Russian Federation, 1996, No. 25, Art. 2964; 1998, No. 16, Art. 1796, No. 30 , art. 3613; 2000, N 26, art. 2730; 2001, N 11, art. 1002; 2002, N 52 (part 1), art. 5132; .1), Article 5038; 2004, No. 10, Article 832, No. 27, Article 2711, No. 35, Article 3607; 2007, No. 7, Article 831, No. 24, Article 2834, No. 26, Article 3077; 2008, No. 52 (Part 1), Article 6232; 2009, No. 1, Article 17, No. 11, Article 1261, No. 39, Article 4537, No. 48, Article 5710; N 15, art. 1742, N 27, art. 3416, N 45, art. 5745; 2011, N 7, art. 901, N 45, art. 6328, N 49 (part 5), art. 7056; , N 14, art. 1551, N 53 (part 1), art. 7608; 2013, N 14, art. 1645, N 27, art. 3477, N 44, art. 5633, N 48, art. 6165; 2014, No. 14, Art. 1550, No. 49 (Part 6), 6928; 2015, No. 14, Art. 2016, No. 17 (Part 4), Art. 2478), Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of October 13, 2004 N 1313 “Issues of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation” (Collection of Legislation of the Russian Federation, 2004, No. 42, Art. 4108; 2005, N 44, art. 4535, N 52 (part 3), art. 5690; 2006, N 12, art. 1284, N 19, art. 2070, N 23, art. 2452, N 38, art. 3975, N 39, art. 4039; 2007, N 13, art. 1530, N 20, art. 2390; 2008, N 10 (part 2), art. 909, N 29 (part 1), art. 3473, no. 43, art. 4921; 2010, N 4, art. 368, N 19, art. 2300; 2011, N 21, art. 2927, art. 2930, N 29, art. 4420; 2012, N 8, art. 990, N 18, art. 2166, N 22, art. 2759, N 38, art. 5070, N 47, art. 6459, N 53 (part 2), art. 7866; 2013, N 26, Art. 3314, N 49 (Part 7), Art. 6396, N 52 (Part 2), Art. 7137; 2014, N 26 (part 2), art. 3515, N 50, art. 7054; 2015, No. 14, Art. 2108, No. 19, Art. 2806), as well as in order to improve the professional training of employees of institutions of the penal system

I order:

1. Approve:

a training program for employees of institutions of the penal system in order to ensure respect for the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of suspects, accused and convicted persons who are disabled (hereinafter referred to as the program) (Appendix No. 1);

the procedure for training employees of institutions of the penal system in order to ensure respect for the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of suspects, accused and convicted persons who are disabled (hereinafter referred to as the procedure) (Appendix No. 2).

2. The Federal Penitentiary Service (G.A. Kornienko) to ensure the implementation of the program and order.

4. Entrust control over the implementation of this order to Deputy Minister A.D. Alkhanov.

Minister
A.V.Konovalov

Registered
at the Ministry of Justice
Russian Federation
October 2, 2015,
registration N 39104

Appendix No. 1. Training program for employees of institutions of the penal system in order to ensure respect for the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of suspects, accused and convicted persons who are disabled

Appendix No. 1
to the order
Ministry of Justice
Russian Federation

1. The training program for employees of institutions of the penitentiary system in order to ensure respect for the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of suspects, accused and convicted persons who are disabled (hereinafter referred to as the Program), was prepared in accordance with the Law of the Russian Federation of July 21, 1993 N 5473-1 "On institutions and bodies executing criminal penalties in the form of imprisonment" in order to obtain and improve the knowledge and skills necessary for employees of institutions of the penal system to perform the tasks assigned to the penal system, to ensure compliance with rights, freedoms and legal interests of suspects, accused and convicted persons who are disabled.

2. Training for employees of institutions of the penal system in order to ensure respect for the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of suspects, accused and convicted persons who are disabled is intended to master:

the fundamentals of psychology of persons with disabilities in physical and mental development, ways of using psychological knowledge to assist them in realizing their rights and legitimate interests;

provisions of the legislation of the Russian Federation on social security of people with disabilities, methods of providing consulting assistance to resolve issues of social security.

3. The program is designed for 10 teaching hours and consists of two sections:

1) psychological preparation;

2) training in the field of social protection.

4. The implementation of the Program is carried out in accordance with the approximate educational and thematic plan for training of employees of institutions of the penal system in order to ensure respect for the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of suspects, accused and convicted persons who are disabled (Appendix).

Application to the program. An approximate educational and thematic plan for training employees of institutions of the penal system in order to ensure respect for the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of suspects, accused and convicted persons, ...

Application
to the training program
employees of institutions
penal system
to ensure compliance
rights, freedoms and legitimate interests
suspects, accused and
convicts who are disabled

Approximate educational and thematic plan for training of employees of institutions of the penal system in order to ensure respect for the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of suspects, accused and convicted persons who are disabled

	Names of section topics		Including
			theoretical tical classes	practically chess classes
	Section I. Psychological preparation
	Psychological support for suspects, accused and convicted persons who are disabled
	Conflictology and techniques of mental self-regulation in working with suspects, accused and convicted persons who are disabled
	Section II. Social protection training
	Technologies of social work with convicts who are disabled in correctional institutions
	Planning social work with disabled prisoners in correctional institutions
	Promotion of social rehabilitation of convicts with disabilities in correctional institutions
TOTAL:

Section I. Psychological preparation

Topic 1.1. Psychological support for suspects, accused and convicted persons who are disabled

Advisory (individual and group) work with suspects, accused and convicted persons who are disabled.

Psychoprophylactic work with suspects, accused and convicted persons who are disabled and are on preventive registration.

Psychological support for convicts who are disabled and registered with penal inspections.

Psychological support for juvenile suspects, accused and convicted persons who are disabled.

Topic 1.2. Conflictology and techniques of mental self-regulation in working with suspects, accused and convicted persons who are disabled

Psychology of conflict. Concept and method of work.

The concept of mental self-regulation. Techniques of mental self-regulation in working with suspects, accused and convicted persons who are disabled. Scheme of mental self-regulation.

Section II. Social protection training

Topic 2.1. Technologies of social work with convicts who are disabled in correctional institutions

Introducing a healthy lifestyle and restoring socially useful connections in social work with disabled prisoners in correctional institutions.

Technology for the restoration in correctional institutions of lost documents identifying a convicted person who is disabled and confirming the right to receive social benefits and guarantees.

Registration of disability, pensions, benefits for persons serving sentences in correctional institutions.

Technology of social support for convicts who are disabled during their stay in correctional institutions.

Technology of preparation for release and registration of persons released from correctional institutions for transfer to special homes for the disabled or social rehabilitation centers.

Topic 2.2. Planning social work with convicts who are disabled in correctional institutions

The main elements of organizing social work with convicts who are disabled in correctional institutions.

Principles and essence of planning social work with disabled prisoners.

Technology for planning social work with convicts who are disabled in correctional institutions.

Compliance of the sections of the plan with the main directions of social work with convicts who are disabled in correctional institutions, the social passport of correctional institutions and the presence of social problems.

Approximate content of a special plan for the work of a social protection group with convicts who are disabled in correctional institutions.

Coordination of the social work plan for convicts who are disabled with other plans existing in correctional institutions (plans for educational work, labor adaptation).

Interaction of employees of the social protection group for convicts with other departments and services of correctional institutions when carrying out social work with convicts who are disabled.

Domestic experience in organizing social work with disabled prisoners in correctional institutions.

Topic 2.3. Promotion of social rehabilitation of convicts with disabilities in correctional institutions

Physiological, psychological, socio-psychological, medical and social characteristics of convicts who are disabled in correctional institutions.

Creating improved living conditions for convicts who are disabled in correctional institutions is a task provided for by penal legislation.

Prevention of social maladaptation of convicts who are disabled in correctional institutions.

Problems of communication, labor and leisure employment of convicts who are disabled in correctional institutions.

Criteria for assessing the condition of convicts who are disabled, including assessment of their professional potential, taking into account their existing functional impairments.

The vocational guidance system as a means of professional rehabilitation of convicts who are disabled.

Features of the use of resocialization for social rehabilitation of convicts who are disabled in correctional institutions of various types of regimes.

Forms of involving government bodies and the public in solving problems of social rehabilitation of convicts who are disabled and released from correctional institutions.

Appendix No. 2. The procedure for training employees of institutions of the penal system in order to ensure respect for the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of suspects, accused and convicted persons who are disabled

Appendix No. 2
to the order
Ministry of Justice
Russian Federation
dated September 22, 2015 N 221

1. The procedure for training employees of institutions of the penal system in order to ensure compliance with the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of suspects, accused and convicted persons who are disabled, was prepared in accordance with the Law of the Russian Federation of July 21, 1993 N 5473-1 “On Institutions and Bodies executing criminal penalties in the form of imprisonment" in order to obtain and improve the knowledge and skills necessary for employees of institutions of the penal system to perform the tasks assigned to the penal system, in order to ensure respect for the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of suspects, accused and convicts who are disabled.

2. Training in order to ensure respect for the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of suspects, accused and convicted persons who are disabled, is carried out in relation to employees of institutions of the penal system who directly work with convicted persons and persons in custody, as well as those registered with the criminal justice system. -executive inspections and people with disabilities.

3. The content of training for employees of institutions of the penal system in order to ensure respect for the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of suspects, accused and convicted persons who are disabled, is determined by the training program for employees of institutions of the penal system in order to ensure respect for the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of suspects , accused and convicted persons who are disabled.

4. Training for employees of institutions of the penal system in order to ensure respect for the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of suspects, accused and convicted persons who are disabled is carried out as part of the professional training of employees of the penal system in accordance with the order of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation dated August 27. 2012 N 169 “On approval of the Manual on the organization of professional training for employees of the penal system” (registered by the Ministry of Justice of Russia on September 13, 2012, registration N 25452).

5. Direct management, as well as control over the organization and status of training for employees of penal system institutions in order to ensure respect for the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of suspects, accused and convicted persons who are disabled, is carried out by the head of the penal system institution and his deputies.



Electronic document text
prepared by Kodeks JSC and verified against:
Official Internet portal
legal information
www.pravo.gov.ru, 10/06/2015,
N 0001201510060033

On approval of the training program for employees of penal system institutions in order to ensure respect for the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of suspects, accused and convicted persons who are disabled, and the procedure for training employees of penal system institutions in order to ensure respect for rights, freedoms and legitimate interests suspects, accused and convicted persons who are disabled

Document title:	On approval of the training program for employees of institutions of the penal system in order to ensure respect for the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of suspects, accused and convicted persons who are disabled, and the procedure for undergoing training for employees of institutions of the penitentiary system in order to ensure respect for rights, freedoms and legitimate interests suspects, accused and convicted persons who are disabled
Document number:	221
Document type:	Order of the Ministry of Justice of Russia
Receiving authority:	Ministry of Justice of Russia
Status:	Active
Published:	Official Internet portal of legal information www.pravo.gov.ru, 10/06/2015, N 0001201510060033
Acceptance date:	September 22, 2015
Start date:	January 01, 2016

The Russian Ministry of Justice signed an order on the training, starting in January 2016, of employees in the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) to protect the rights and interests of arrested and convicted disabled people. The emphasis in the training will be on the human factor: human rights activists will be able to help such prisoners endure captivity, prepare them for life in civilian life and educate them into law-abiding citizens. In addition to psychology, they will master the nuances of relevant legislation, registration of social benefits and documents so that disabled people do not have problems in the wild. Already in the colony, prisoners will be able to restore lost documents, and will also learn what rights and social guarantees they are entitled to. Public human rights activists believe that their new colleagues from the Federal Penitentiary Service will not be able to fully defend the rights of prisoners because they are too dependent on intradepartmental interests.

The Order of the Ministry of Justice “On approval of the training program for employees of institutions of the penal system in order to ensure respect for the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of suspects, accused and convicted persons who are disabled” was approved on October 6. It was developed in pursuance of Federal Law No. 46 “On the Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,” which came into force in Russia on May 3, 2012.

Currently, there are 22.4 thousand disabled people in correctional institutions of the Federal Penitentiary Service, including 558 people of the first group, 9,725 people of the second group, 12,143 people of the third group. The FSIN takes into account this category of prisoners.

Conditions have been created for convicted disabled people to participate in social, cultural life and physical development, the FSIN press center told Izvestia. - Correctional facilities have ramps, single-tier beds, and special toilets and showers. In addition, this category of prisoners is under constant medical control.

Thus, blind and visually impaired prisoners are provided with literature and documents on special media: “talking book”, books with raised dot font (Braille), large-print books and flat-printed publications.

Nevertheless, prosecutors find violations of the rights of people with disabilities in colonies. For example, in April 2015, the head of the Buryat colony-settlement No. 3 received a warning from the local prosecutor for violating penal legislation. It turned out that disabled prisoners who found it difficult to move independently did not have full access to the canteen, medical unit, gym and bathhouse. All of these buildings were not equipped with ramps; there was no separate shower stall for them, and normal access to the toilets was not provided. At that time, in colony No. 3 there were seven disabled people with different disability groups.

The prosecutor's office and various public organizations are actively involved in protecting the rights of prisoners in places of deprivation of liberty, including disabled people, but now representatives of the Federal Penitentiary Service will join them. To do this, they will undergo a training course, divided into two main blocks with subroutines.

The first block is called “Psychological preparation” and contains lectures on psychological support, conflict management and “techniques of mental self-regulation”. Conflictology studies the causes of conflicts and determines ways to overcome them.

FSIN employees will study the concept of conflict psychology, methods of working to resolve controversial situations between prisoners and staff, a source close to the development of the order told Izvestia. - Much attention will be paid to the prevention of psychological breakdowns: prisoners, convicts and those registered with criminal correctional inspections will be accompanied to prevent them from slipping into depression, aggression or addiction.

And so that the psychologists of the Federal Penitentiary Service themselves, passing through the difficult life stories of disabled people, their problems and experiences, do not get stress from this, they will be taught mental self-regulation, the source added.

Mental self-regulation is a person’s influence on himself through conviction, words and mental images, in order not to succumb to negative emotions, as well as ways to overcome them. Such skills are usually useful for security forces and people whose profession is associated with stress.

The second block, called “Social protection,” concerns not the inner world of disabled people, but the ways they interact with the outside world, which they will resort to after their release. It is known that people with disabilities often deliberately isolate themselves from the outside world and minimize communication with other people. Also, FSI residents will be taught the basics of the social worker profession - they will explain what documents a disabled person needs to live in freedom, how to restore lost certificates and apply for pensions and disability benefits.

At the lectures in the second section, employees will also be told about how to introduce a disabled person to leading a healthy lifestyle and force him to give up bad habits.

Each section of the thematic plan of lectures, which Izvestia reviewed, contains instructions that the program concerns not only convicted people, but also suspected and accused disabled people. In addition, we are talking about minors. This means that the new service will work not only in colonies, but also in pre-trial detention centers and in other types of penitentiary institutions under the jurisdiction of the Federal Penitentiary Service (the so-called closed zones, special schools and vocational schools, as well as temporary isolation centers for minors).

The order will take effect on January 1, 2016; accordingly, the FSIN will begin training new personnel after the New Year holidays.

Public human rights activists are still skeptical about the idea of ​​the Ministry of Justice.

There is no human rights service in the FSIN, and we had the opportunity to verify this in front of all the heads of the service; human rights activists there have never entered into confrontation even with the regional leadership, says human rights activist and member of the advisory council at the Prosecutor General’s Office Valery Borshchev. - I don’t think that with such a staffing they will be able to organize effective work in relation to such a group of convicts as disabled people.

Experts believe that the emphasis when training human rights defenders should be on psychology.

Prisoners with disabilities usually occupy low positions in the prison informal hierarchy, so they need psychological help,” member of the All-Russian Council for Psychotherapy, psychotherapist Mark Sandomirsky told Izvestia. - On the one hand, disabled people cannot stand up for themselves; they can be put under pressure, exploited, and their parcels taken away from them. On the other hand, they themselves can show aggression, trying to prove something to others about themselves.

He believes that knowledge of the basics of psychological self-regulation is important not only for employees of the Federal Penitentiary Service, but also for the disabled themselves.

It is precisely people with disabilities who need the basics of self-regulation - these are very simple activities aimed at overcoming negative emotions, giving them a safe way out, emotional release,” Sandomirsky said. - This is especially true for aggressive emotions such as anger.