Administrative activity features of the penal institutions psychological service in working with convicts: problems and ways of improvement

Abstract

In connection with the processes of reforming the social and educational system of convicts in Ukraine, the author studies in detail the state of administrative activities of penal institutions (PI). The legislative features of the administrative activity of the psychological service of the Ukrainian Criminal Police Service in working with convicts have been revealed. The indicators of the effectiveness of the correction and resocialization of convicts in Ukraine were analyzed and the staffing standards of the total number of personnel in the section of the PI were calculated. A positive trend to reduce the number of convicts in Ukraine for the period of 2018-2021 by 4 %, a high mortality rate of prisoners, which negatively characterizes administrative activities and social and educational work with convicts, was revealed. In Ukraine, practical social and educational work with convicts takes place exclusively in departments, the convicts for whom an individual program has been drawn up, the staff of the institution, employees of state and non-state organizations involved in working with the convict are responsible. On average, 1 to 2 psychologists work in the PI, regardless of the average number of convicts on the list, with the involvement of other specialists in certain types of PI (educator, methodologist, club head, circle leader, library head). The key problem of the resocialization of convicts has been identified: excessive workload on the staff due to a significant number of convicts and the need for individual work with them. As a result, there is a low culture of correction and resocialization, a low efficiency of resocialization of prisoners, a low level of trust in psychologists, along with a low level of involvement of communities in the rehabilitation of convicts. Thus, in Ukraine, the organizational and administrative activities of the bodies and institutions of the criminal enforcement system in the context of their performance of social functions are not sufficiently effective. Key words: management activity, heads of penitentiary institutions, administrative activities of personnel, penitentiary service.