Resocialization and adaptation of convicts: problems and prospects of the penitentiary system in Russia

The modern domestic penitentiary system is experiencing a serious crisis today, as evidenced by the increase in the number of collective protests by convicts, most of which occur in a non-violent form.

Meanwhile, serving a sentence by convicts in a correctional facility is a leading factor influencing their future life.

That is why the problem of resocialization of convicts is particularly acute today.

What is resocialization?

The longer a person is in prison, the more social functions they forget. After release, most prisoners have difficulty regaining such functions. This process is called resocialization. The main directions of this process (in other countries it is called social therapy) are:

• Education.
• Labor activity.
• Sport.
• Participation in cultural life.

To carry out work in these areas, a whole range of measures are carried out, which are selected individually in each specific case, taking into account the characteristic personality traits of a person, the length of his sentence and other circumstances.

What are the differences between desocialization and resocialization?

These concepts are opposite in meaning. In the process of desocialization, a person loses social skills, values, status and habitual way of life.

The process of desocialization can occur quickly or be extended over time. In addition to intensity, an important aspect of this phenomenon is the voluntary or forced nature of the loss of connection with society.

The result of desocialization in prison is the transformation of a person into a unit of an aggressive mass. He loses his individuality and norms of behavior in society. They are being replaced by prison concepts that are not applicable to life in freedom.

However, you need to understand that in some cases, desocialization occurs voluntarily and does not lead to a person’s loss of moral qualities. A typical example of such desocialization is entering a monastery. As a result, a person can become even more moral and spiritually developed, although he refuses a number of social skills and functions inherent in the individual in the world.

The opposite example of desocialization is associated with a person losing his job, committing a crime, and other social upheavals. Gradually, it replaces the values ​​​​accepted in society with illusory alternatives such as the use of alcohol or drugs, violence and other illegal activities. The very fact of committing a crime demonstrates that a person does not respect social values ​​and abandons them.

Factors of desocialization in places of detention are:

• Isolation from society.
• Conclusion within same-sex groups.
• Regulation of human behavior.
• Wearing the same special uniform.
• Impersonal living environment and assignment of a personal number.
• Replacing old norms and traditions with new ones.
• Deprivation of freedom of action.

In some cases, desocialization in prison goes so far that a person’s return to society is impossible.

One of the main indicators of such severe desocialization is relapse into a person’s criminal activity. Therefore, the goal of resocialization of former prisoners is to avoid them repeating illegal actions.

To do this, as part of their work with them, they try to reduce the negative consequences of imprisonment and adapt prisoners to life in freedom.

Among the various measures for the resocialization of a person, the most important is assistance in finding employment and restoring social ties. If such measures are successful, the likelihood of reoffending is significantly reduced.

Social adaptation of convicts: main stages

It has been established that persons who have previously served sentences in places of deprivation of liberty adapt much more quickly to the conditions of a new regime institution than those who are incarcerated for the first time.

Stages of the adaptation process:

1. Formation of opinions among convicts about the peculiarities of places of deprivation of liberty during the investigation.
2. Systematic familiarization with the rules of the institution and other legal acts while still in the quarantine department.
3. Familiarization with the real situation in the detachment. Comparison with previously established ideas.
4. Determining your own position and accepting or rejecting internal regulations.
5. Implementation of the chosen line of behavior.
6. Recognition of a certain social status for an individual by other convicts.

One of the main tasks of a correctional institution is considered to be the implementation of timely influence on convicts to develop in them a positive perception of reality and a correct assessment of what is happening. Persons with a negative attitude towards reality hinder the achievement of the goals of criminal punishment. This often destabilizes the operational situation.

The social adaptation of convicts is associated with the psychological climate, which influences the individual and shapes certain attitudes. Special attention is needed for teenagers, with whom a dynamic educational process should be carried out.

Resocialization of those sentenced to imprisonment

In Russia, the recidivism rate is quite high. Given the large number of prisoners per capita, the task of their resocialization is important at the level of the entire state system.

Since a desocialized prisoner will be dangerous to society after release, work on his resocialization should be carried out by the correctional institution to which he is sent to serve his sentence.

Working with a prisoner is intended to re-form in him a set of qualities necessary for a normal life in society. For this purpose, a set of preventive, corrective and restorative measures is created.

Prevention, in this case, should eliminate the factors due to which the development of the individual went with deviations and resulted in illegal activities and an asocial lifestyle.

Prevention is successful when it is aimed at the environment of the convicted person. That is, it is important to carry out a set of measures that contribute to the formation of an appropriate social climate in society. It, in turn, reduces the risk of crime. But actions to form anti-criminogenic motives of behavior are also important. This is largely facilitated by a person’s awareness of the inevitability of punishment for committing crimes.

With long-term imprisonment, as well as in the process of criminal activity, a person loses labor skills, and in return acquires criminal ones. Together they form a criminal stereotype of behavior. To return a person to normal life, this stereotype must first be destroyed.

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In a correctional institution, they must prepare a person for release, help him acquire work skills and find a place in normal life in conditions of complete freedom.

Law/5.Criminal law and criminology

Doctoral student
Ph . D 3rd year Kairbaeva L.K.
Eurasian National University named after. L.N. Gumilyov, Kazakhstan

Problems of resocialization of convicts.

The personality of a person sentenced to imprisonment undergoes significant changes, as a result of which the values ​​that ensure an individual, as if outside social existence, acquire the greatest significance for him, and the values ​​that reflect the active and social essence of a person fade into the background. This fact is confirmed by numerous studies by both foreign and domestic scientists.

At the end of his sentence, the convict again finds himself in society, the laws of which he must observe, but for a number of reasons he is not always able to follow them, since social adaptation is difficult for him. That is why the problem of resocialization of convicts comes to the fore in the work of institutions executing criminal punishments.

The inclusion of a former convict after his release into the normal living conditions of society is the only option for determining the effectiveness of penal institutions, allowing one to accurately determine the significant social orientation of their activities.

The resocialization of convicts should be understood as a long process, which is based on a complex set of psychological, pedagogical, economic, medical, legal and organizational measures aimed at developing in each convict the ability and readiness to be included after serving his sentence in the normal living conditions of society. This will help the convicted person, at first, more or less successfully cope with the required number of roles in normal conditions of social life, and in the future it will serve as the main basis for restoring the appropriate scope of functions of a normal member of society. At the same time, it makes specific demands on the conditions for serving sentences. They must be sufficient, at least, to ensure that the convicted person does not lose the skills and habits of behavior practiced in normal conditions of social life. Taking this requirement into account makes it possible to overcome a significant shortcoming in the ideology of education, which for many years has been reconciled with the conditions existing in places of deprivation of liberty that make it difficult to effectively organize the pedagogical process.

For objective scientific coverage of the nature of the resocialization process, its tasks should be determined. These may include:

1. increasing the general educational level of convicts;

2. vocational training or professional development;

3. health protection, accustoming to the order and conditions established in institutions;

4. neutralization of negative socio-psychological phenomena characteristic of a concentrated environment of offenders, excessive addiction to conditions of isolation from society;

5. providing opportunities and assistance in establishing and maintaining socially useful connections, preparing for release.

This is only an approximate list of tasks, the scope of which is actually more significant. It also includes the tasks of developing in convicts knowledge of the requirements for members of society, awareness of changes in social attitudes, training law-abiding behavior in an ordinary hostel, identifying unformed (underdeveloped) abilities, etc. The tasks of the resocialization process should also include the implementation of therapeutic activities, the provision of psychological and social assistance to convicts during their stay in penal institutions.

Currently, the idea of ​​​​resocialization of criminals is becoming leading in a radical restructuring of the activities of penitentiary institutions. Certain organizational and legislative initiatives have already been taken in this direction. Thus, prohibitions that sever social ties have been abolished, restrictions on correspondence have been lifted, and penalties such as deprivation of convicts from meetings with close relatives have been abolished.

The countries of the European Community have already accumulated sufficient experience in the resocialization of criminals who have served sentences in the form of imprisonment. Despite national and other peculiarities, their experience will save time and avoid mistakes in restructuring the activities of institutions executing criminal punishments, take into account their local conditions and develop, perhaps, a more effective Kazakhstani system for the re-socialization of persons who have broken the law and are in prison.

In penal institutions in Europe, as well as in Kazakhstan, the main means contributing to the resocialization of criminals are general educational and vocational training and productive work. At the same time, there are significant differences not only in the content of convicts, but also in solving other problems, among which a special place is occupied by social work with convicts, which requires careful study.

A special focus of social work services around the world are prisoners as one of the least protected groups of the population. For example, in the United States, social work in relation to offenders is carried out by the widespread probation service, which, in addition to providing social assistance to those on probation and conditionally released (for example, employment, housing, financial support), does a lot of work to prevent recidivism.

In Germany, there has historically been a traditional participation of the church in the provision of social assistance, so not only state organizations, but also religious ones deal with the problems of convicts.

In France, social work with convicts, as an area of ​​social policy, is carried out by municipalities and is carried out mainly at the regional level.

In the UK and Finland, along with state social structures, there is a widely developed network of non-governmental, public structures or parastatal entities that are financed and controlled by the state. Their functions include: developing specific social programs, their implementation, providing social assistance, attracting the necessary specialists to social work on a voluntary basis and providing assistance to prisoners.

The goal of social work with convicts should be considered to be assistance in reducing the threshold of conflict between convicts and society through inclusion in readaptation programs, work activities, and obtaining general and vocational education.

Social work with prisoners in penitentiary institutions of foreign countries is carried out by both full-time employees and volunteers. There are different approaches to determining the required optimal number of full-time social workers in penitentiary institutions. So in the UK, in each institution for young offenders there is a group of social workers of at least two people. In the United States, the National Council on Juvenile Crime and Delinquency has set the number of social workers in correctional institutions at a ratio of 1 employee per 40 offenders.

For example, in England, during the first hours of imprisonment, a person receives a “Prisoner Information Pack”, consisting of 15 separate brochures, which contain excerpts from prison rules and detailed explanations of them. At the same time, special attention is paid to the list of social assistance provided to prisoners and how it can be received: “useful organizations”, “social protection and payments upon release”, “social security service”.

The experience of Germany is of significant interest in organizing social work with convicts. Teachers and social workers, after preliminary interviews and studying the potential capabilities of the convict, draw up an act on the basis of which the convict is sent to the appropriate correctional institution.

Thus, people are sent to the Münster prison to complete their secondary education, to the Varley prison - those who want to acquire the necessary profession and craft, and students are sent to the Gellerme prison.

In Finland, the Association for Probation and Aftercare was founded in 1975 to help solve the social problems of parolees and released prisoners. The activities of the organization are under the control and guidance of the Ministry of Justice. The purpose of the organization's employees is to provide comprehensive assistance (psychological support, legal advice, solving housing problems, employment) to persons released or conditionally released. A particularly important task remains the development of personal responsibility of prisoners, especially self-service skills, establishing contacts, the habit of observing obligations, learning how to maintain accounts and money transactions.

In Denmark and Holland, the practice of self-service for prisoners grouped in groups of 10-12 people (cooking, washing, cleaning the premises) is widespread. Self-care provides a strong foundation for developing personal responsibility.

According to Western experts, the resocialization of prisoners is greatly facilitated by the relative openness of the institution and the use of the following measures:

1) “import” of specialists and possible services - inviting specialists who do not work directly in the legal system, for example, for consultations on legal issues. Such events have the advantage that prisoners meet ordinary civilians and can interact with them as ordinary citizens. This model should also promote the development of self-service, when nearby shops and libraries provide their goods and services from a correctional institution to the community: for example, the provision of consulting services by institution specialists to citizens of a nearby part of the city.

The success of social adaptation, as practice and research shows, depends on:

1. from including the liberated person in socially useful work and training (progressive readaptation);

2. establishing healthy family relationships, including with parents;

3. restoration of communicative social connections;

4. strengthening moral values ​​as factors of social behavior.

For those released from prison, differentiated social programs are necessary. Penal institutions cannot prepare convicts for release without the help of other civil society organizations. Therefore, it is necessary to encourage state and public organizations working with former convicts to establish relationships with them even before their release and begin to plan the process of their reintegration into society.

An equally important factor in the successful social adaptation of convicts is maintaining family and personal connections through visits. In many prisons and colonies in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the prison contains a group of small living quarters in which visitors can live with an incarcerated family member for up to 72 hours. In Canada and some US prison systems, similar accommodation is provided, often in the form of a mobile home located within the prison perimeter, surrounded by a wooden fence to create privacy. Prisoners in such premises must appear daily at a certain time for security checks. In some states in India, open prisons such as village settlements have been created for those sentenced to long terms of imprisonment who have proven that they do not pose a danger. Prisoners can live in these settlements with their families in separate dwellings and engage in agriculture or other work; schools and other institutions are provided for members of their families.

Literature

1. Aidosov S. Public monitoring in penitentiary institutions - Almaty, 2004. - 300 p.

2. Bogreeva E. Subculture of convicts and their resocialization. - M.: ANNIE Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation., 2001. - 82 p.

3. Vivienne Stern. Sin against the future, imprisonment in the world / PRI, 2000. - 130c.

4. Liborakina M.I., Flamer M.G., Yakimets V.N. Social partnership. - M.: School of Cultural Policy, 1996. -114 p.

5. Laine M. Criminology and sociology of deviant behavior. – Helsinki: Center for Training of Prison Officers, 1994. – 235 p.

6. Posmakov P.N. Prison syndrome. – Astana, 2001. – 171 p.

7. Resocialization of convicts in penitentiary institutions of Germany. Textbook Benefit. - M.: Human Rights, 2001. - 182 p.

Resocialization in society

An important aspect of the return of prisoners to normal life is expressed in the attitude towards these people from their social environment. Society must accept the principle of humanism, the essence of which is to understand the limits of execution of punishment for a crime committed. That is, a convict who has served his sentence should not spend his entire life with the stigma of a criminal that society will place on him.

Society must support and respect the rights of this person. He must be tolerated.

In practice, Russian society has not yet formed a stereotype of humane treatment of former prisoners. As a result, many of them, once free, feel like outcasts. This pushes them to return to illegal activities only to end up in prison again.

In addition to social stereotypes, legal support plays an important role in the process of social adaptation of former prisoners. For this purpose it is used:

• Legislation on social adaptation of prisoners.
• Guarantees of maintaining their housing, as well as assistance in finding employment.
• Responsible attitude of local authorities.

In practice, not all of these mechanisms work in Russia, and in some cases they are not fully developed at the legislative level.

Resocialization and adaptation of convicts: problems and prospects of the penitentiary system in Russia

 The article highlights the educational potential of correctional institutions in Russia, and also highlights certain problems in the social adaptation of former prisoners after their release from penitentiary institutions. At the same time, the emphasis is on some social practices of improving the problem on this issue - by the authorities.

Key words: convicts, penitentiary system, educational and correctional institutions, problems of former convicts, adaptation, resocialization, rehabilitation, help and support.

The educational process in places of deprivation of liberty is part of a broader process of correction of convicts. The goal is to form a respectful attitude towards people, society, work, norms, rules and traditions of human society, and to increase the educational and cultural level of convicts.

Today, the question of the need to create a social service and introduce social work specialists into the staff of correctional institutions is becoming quite acute. In 2022, there are 602 thousand 176 people in Russian penal institutions. At the same time, the staffing level of the penal system is 295,967 [7]. That is, for every prisoner there are 0.5 FSIN employees. That is why the main goal of expanding the staff of the penitentiary system is to organize in these institutions various types of correctional and educational work with convicts.

The need to introduce highly qualified specialists in the field of social work into the staff of these institutions will also help to take an effective part in solving problems associated with the increase in recidivism, especially among adolescents and youth.

The problem of educational work with convicts in penitentiary institutions is being quite actively developed in domestic science. There is positive experience in educational work with convicts in certain institutions of the penitentiary system.

Specialists from groups of social assistance and support for convicts, together with the interested services of the correctional institution, are:

– a social card for each convicted person;

– provide individual assistance;

– inform and advise convicts on issues of pensions and social security;

– organize and carry out work to prepare them for release;

– provide assistance in resolving issues of labor and living arrangements for those released from prison.

Practice has shown that the implementation of psychological and social work in places of deprivation of liberty has a beneficial effect on the effectiveness of the educational process, contributes to the improvement of the moral and psychological climate among convicts, their successful preparation for release and further integration into society.

At the same time, it is important to note that, according to estimates from both government agencies and independent experts, the Russian penitentiary system is not yet entirely perfect. The government-approved Concept for the Development of the Penitentiary System of the Russian Federation states that “despite the significant changes that have occurred in the country in recent years, the penal system has largely retained the features of the old penitentiary system, oriented toward a different society.”

This is due to the fact that convicts in these conditions face certain social problems regarding their adaptation after leaving the penitentiary institution.

Of interest is the study of the adaptation processes of former prisoners, as well as providing them with assistance in everyday life and employment. All this is the primary task of the state in order to avoid the commission of new crimes.

As a rule, heads of enterprises and organizations refuse to hire such citizens not only because of their criminal history and low professional qualifications. In addition, most employers do not trust “ex-convicts.” The question arises, where can I get material resources for living and starting a new life? Almost everyone who is released from correctional institutions faces a similar question, and other than continuing criminal activity, they find no answers. Failure to provide adequate assistance to this category of persons gives rise to new problems in society.

According to M.I. Enikeev, resocialization is the process of an individual’s assimilation of social norms and cultural values ​​that were not mastered, or insufficiently mastered earlier, or updated at a new stage of social development [3, p.73].

The concept of “resocialization” refers to the application of criminal legal, penal and social measures of influence that are applied by society to people who have embarked on a criminal path. When a person commits a socially dangerous act that is considered criminal, he is sent to prison.

At the same time, resocialization is a certain stage designed to eliminate the preconditions for relapse behavior and restore socially useful connections between the individual and society. During this process, asocial roles and behavior must be destroyed, and positive patterns of social values ​​must be consolidated.

The founder of the human rights project “Gulagu.net” Vladimir Osechkin believes that the resocialization of prisoners should begin to be addressed already in places of detention. “The biggest blow to the socialization of prisoners comes from prisons, that is, pre-trial detention centers, where the majority of prisoners spend a huge portion of their sentence,” explains Osechkin. According to him, it is necessary to humanize the system of serving a sentence - to allow more visits with family, to ensure social life in the pre-trial detention center, so that there is no need to urgently seek budgetary funds for the adaptation of prisoners after release" [2].

According to statistics, 35–40% of convicts commit crimes again in the first year after leaving prison. This situation is not surprising, since many of them return to the same negative environment in which they lived before prison. Alcoholism in the family, loss of social connections, lack of work - all this pushes released prisoners to crime. Therefore, to avoid this, society must help them adapt to a free life.

The two main questions a prisoner faces upon release are “where to live?” and “where can I get a job?” In correctional institutions, those serving a sentence of imprisonment are prepared in advance for the upcoming free life. They develop the right attitude towards work, compliance with the law, and participation in public life. Those convicts whose behavior and life attitudes undergo noticeable changes receive relief from the regime of detention. Moreover, vocational schools operate in correctional institutions, where convicts are taught various professions. That is why, if desired, a person can be released, already having a profession in demand in the labor market.

According to data for 2022, correctional institutions have 283 general educational organizations and 503 of their branches, 302 professional educational institutions of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia and 404 of their structural divisions [7].

However, as practice shows, a new life for many released never begins. According to statistics, about 20% of former convicts have a permanent job, another 55% live off temporary earnings, and 25% have no legal source of income at all. The situation with living space is no better. Less than half of former prisoners have their own housing, many live with relatives, and about 4% find themselves homeless.

It is significant that many of these people do not want to get a job themselves. Some experts believe that such people are physically unable to change their lives because they are sick with chronic alcoholism with personality degradation.

However, many who have been released have a sincere desire to start a new life. But when trying to find a job, former prisoners face great difficulties. Although most of them have a profession that they acquired in prison, potential employers refuse to employ them as soon as they learn about their criminal record. Some employers are not satisfied with the lack of work experience. After all, although prisoners are trained in a certain specialty, they do not receive practice, because there is simply nowhere to practice in the colony [1].

The social rehabilitation of convicts is greatly complicated by the severance of social ties—with family, former colleagues, and friends. It is not surprising that people so isolated from society have nowhere to go.

Once you fall out of the system, it is very difficult to return to it. Convicts often lose their identity documents. And without them it is impossible to find employment, receive pensions, social benefits, purchase housing, register, or issue a medical policy.

But even in such a situation, the path to a normal life is possible. For example, in some regions there is a practice of operating Social Adaptation Centers for persons released from prison, which achieve some success in working with citizens of this category.

In the institution, residents are not only given temporary accommodation, medical care, psychological and legal assistance, assistance in finding employment, assistance in obtaining identification documents, but first of all they try to explain and instill confidence that they can still be useful to society.

These institutions also provide assistance in the social adaptation of persons released from prison on parole, including: in deciding through local government bodies the issue of residence of the convicted person, in providing financial assistance through social protection authorities, in restoring lost documents, employment, or obtaining additional professional education through the employment center, as well as in resolving other issues within the framework of the legislation of the Russian Federation [5].

This year, 2022, the FSIN supported the idea of ​​an institute of mentors for the adaptation of former prisoners.

The idea of ​​​​creating a mentoring institute assumes that former prisoners, with the help of curators, will find an honest income in their freedom and implement their commercial, creative and social projects. Thus, personal curators will help solve a very important problem facing the Russian penitentiary system - reducing the number of recidivism among released prisoners.

Effective work on the resocialization and adaptation of former convicts is impossible without efforts from the state, including in the form of funding and the adoption of the necessary legislative acts.

Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security Alexey Kondratyev spoke about the need for justified legislative regulation of activities for the rehabilitation and social adaptation of convicts, taking into account the specifics of the population in correctional institutions. At the same time, he noted that resolving such issues requires careful and balanced study, since it serves to ensure public safety in the state.

The head of the social rehabilitation center of the non-profit organization Interregional Charitable Fund for Assistance to Prisoners, Suzanna Kirilchuk, noted the creation of a rehabilitation center for women released from prison or on probation. She noted that it is more difficult for women, after living in state support in correctional institutions, to return to society, find work and again provide for themselves and their family and children.

It is possible to touch upon the practice of law enforcement, taking into account foreign and domestic experience, when it is proposed to solve the problem of socialization and adaptation of convicts by adopting the Federal Law “On measures for social support of convicts and persons released from prison.” A similar bill was prepared back in 2012 by a team of authors from the Federal Public Institution Research Institute of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia. The main essence of the bill is to provide assistance to citizens released from prison in their work and everyday life.

Thus, social rehabilitation and adaptation of former convicts after release from prison is a complex process. After serving their sentences, former convicts face a number of problems. To help solve these problems, the social practice of creating specialized centers for the rehabilitation of former prisoners is spreading in Russia. At the same time, it is important to emphasize that the key role in working with convicts belongs to the FSIN, since the department has powers enshrined in legislation for the education of convicts and post-penitentiary support, and also has a properly functioning system. That is why it is necessary to pursue a policy in the field of adaptation and resocialization of former convicts on the basis of the Federal Penitentiary Service.

Literature:

1. The state must actively participate in the adaptation of former convicts [Electronic resource]. — URL: https://rapsinews.ru/incident_news/20180123/281724009.html (Date of access: 04/21/2018).
2. The deputies decided to engage in the rehabilitation of former prisoners [Electronic resource]. –URL: https://izvestia.ru/news/607769 (Date of access: 04/18/2018)/
3. Enikeev M.I. Legal psychology: Textbook for universities. - M.: Norma: SIC INFRA-M, 2013. - 56 p.
4. Resocialization and social adaptation of persons released from prison: a textbook; Federal Penitentiary Service, Academy of Law and Management. - Book 92. - Ryazan: Academy of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia, 2014.
5. Rehabilitation and social adaptation of convicts [Electronic resource]. — URL: https://antipytki.ru/2018/01/31/reabilitatsiya-i-sotsialnaya-adaptatsiya-osuzhdennyh/ (Date of access: 04/12/2018).
6. Saifullin R.R. Resocialization and social adaptation of convicts // In the collection: Fundamental scientific research: theoretical and practical aspects Collection of materials from the III International Scientific and Practical Conference. — 2022. — pp. 640–641.
7. Federal Penitentiary Service. Official website [Electronic resource]. — URL: https://www.fsin.su (Date of access: 04/20/2018).

What is psychological resocialization?

Any changes in personality and its behavior are possible only after a change in attitude towards oneself. The ex-prisoner must stop viewing himself as a criminal. He should not feel like an outcast among people who have not served time and have not committed a crime. To overcome such psychological barriers and eradicate the division of people into those who sat and those who did not sit, psychological resocialization of the individual is carried out.

Psychologists and educators in correctional institutions must influence not only the convicted person himself, but also his relatives in order to form a humane attitude towards this person. The difficulty of the task is that the prisoner must want to rebuild himself. The basis of psychological resocialization includes:

• Psychoprophylaxis.
• Psychocorrection.
• Psychotherapy in crisis situations.

Ideally, based on the results of such work, the convicted person:

• He realizes his guilt and repents of his actions.
• Acquires social immunity.

Psychological work with a prisoner must be combined with the creation of the necessary social conditions for his return to society. If these conditions do not exist, then it will be extremely difficult to achieve a person’s desire to change himself and his life.

Ways of resocialization of juvenile convicts

The rapid increase in the number of juvenile prisoners requires close attention to the problem not only from law enforcement agencies and educational institutions, but also from socio-psychological institutions.

In this regard, recently more and more attention has been paid to the study of the social causes of criminal behavior (low level of development of the moral consciousness of young people, destabilization of the social situation, etc.), at the same time, the personality of a minor offender is being increasingly studied.

Educational work is one of the main means of correction, which, thanks to the latest provisions of pedagogy and psychology, helps to achieve the most significant results in the correction of convicts, changing negative personality traits and antisocial attitudes. As a result, the demand for various types of preventive and psychocorrection programs is rapidly increasing.

A specific and no less acute problem is related to the resocialization of adolescents released from prison. Studying the personality of a convicted person at the time of his release from the VK can be of great importance for solving the issue of combating recidivism, because the problem of adapting a young man, released after serving a sentence in a military commission, to the conditions of normal existence in a social environment at large is the main requirement of today.

It is obvious that, having spent a significant period of his life in a place of deprivation of liberty, a teenager either partially loses his ability to adapt in one or another area of ​​his life, or “misses” a favorable (sensitive) period for the normal formation and development of these abilities. While developing, every minor is forced to solve the problems of his own growing up, and the environmental factor plays a significant role in their prompt and correct solution. As a result, the normal solution of problems of growing up by teenagers in colonies with limited social contacts becomes difficult and even impossible.

The relevance of the problem of adaptation of young people in society after release from the VK convinces of the need to carry out special preliminary work on the psychological preparation of convicts for life in new conditions for them. Psychological preparation can act as both the initial and final stages in the process of correction (resocialization) of convicts.

The social conditions of life after release from prison appear for a young person as new, problematic and requiring a lot of stress and endurance from him, making the right decisions, for which the pupil is not ready. “Surprises” cause inadequate, often affective reactions to surrounding circumstances. Often this can be aggravated by the wrong attitude of others towards former convicts. All this together leads to incorrect assessments of oneself and others on the part of a young man released from custody, and as a result, to incorrect actions. The process of adaptation to the conditions of normal existence in a social environment after serving a sentence depends on three main groups of factors.

1. The personality of the liberated person, his worldview, character traits, temperament, intelligence, sense of justice, morality, morality, ethics, education, specialty, work skills, etc.

2. Conditions of the external environment surrounding the person released (availability of housing, registration, family and relationships with it, work and satisfaction with it, relationships with the workforce, relationships with members of small groups, tactics of police officers exercising supervision).

3. The conditions in which the convict was in the VK, and which affect his behavior in the first months of freedom: organization of the labor process, the structure of the group of convicts (its status), time of imprisonment, etc.

The social adaptation of a person released from prison represents a whole complex of tasks that he needs to solve. In some cases, in order to solve these problems, it is necessary to “start life over”, rebuilding your behavior scenario that has become habitual. However, very often it turns out that teenagers, being prisoners, show hidden or obvious resistance to the educational process, the basis of which can be both the absence within the pupil’s personality of an image of a prosperous prospect for his future life, and the dominance of infantile attitudes such as: “I don’t need to do anything, everything will resolve itself” or “Nothing depends on me.” On the other hand, teenagers, due to the characteristics of their age, are in constant search of their ideal, an authoritative person among adults. In this regard, prisoners may be subject to the personality-specific influence of a psychologist or teacher, who, in part, can become for them just such an authority, a significant adult, which they often lack. A psychologist, through his behavior and open expression of his opinions and feelings, can help teenagers change their outlook on the future and acquire an active position in relation to their lives.

In the process of theoretical and practical research, we were able to identify the main factors for the successful resocialization of adolescents:

1. An attitude towards cooperation.

2. Orientation in the space of social relations.

3. Criticality.

4. Stress resistance (it includes two aspects: 1 – response to accumulated feelings and emotions; 2 – learning skills to overcome life’s difficulties, development of defense mechanisms, adequacy of behavior).

5. Acceptance of your past (acceptance of the past precisely as the past, i.e. a segment of life to which a return is impossible).

Thus, the goal of a comprehensive program for the resocialization of convicts should be the formation in the prisoner of psychological readiness to live in new conditions, ensuring his rapid inclusion in a new social environment and activities in it without excessive traumatic stress. All elements of the system in which the teenager is included must participate in solving this problem: educators, guards, squad leaders, teachers, psychologists and other colony employees. All this convinces of the need to carry out special psychological and pedagogical work with convicted minors.

One of the effective forms of educational work is group work, since as each teenager develops, he is forced to solve the problems of his own growing up, and the environmental factor plays a significant role in their prompt and correct solution.

Peer group is a source

of many
feedbacks that are significant for a teenager,
it makes it possible to see people’s reactions to their own manifestations and, possibly, change their idea of ​​themselves.

A group is a special form of relationship between its members, which provides the principle of personal development, along with the development of the group. The possibility of changing a teenager’s personality lies in the process of self-disclosure in group classes: training is a place where everyone can try themselves in a new capacity, allow themselves to experiment with their own behavior.

In the process of intergroup communication, a teenager should develop a positive attitude towards himself and others, which serves as the key to personal reconstruction: the teenager begins to objectively evaluate his thoughts, feelings and conflicts; in his behavior, he abandons everything that separates him from people, begins to develop those aspects of his personality that are attractive to others, begins to soberly assess his capabilities, and renounce unfounded claims.

The group in this case is a model of real life, and intragroup relations are a model of the relationships that each of the group members builds with the real people who make up his environment. The teacher’s task is to create conditions for neutralizing negative anxiety and increasing the opportunities for self-disclosure that is safe in a given situation, reducing tension and hidden aggressive reactions in the relationships of the participants.

Creating such conditions in a group where self-knowledge becomes a relevant opportunity encourages the teenager to find new opportunities in himself to overcome difficulties.

In group interaction, the following opportunities for working with teenagers are highlighted:

— interaction and confrontation with peers;

— creating a miniature real-life situation to study and change behavior;

- stimulation of new ways of interacting with the situation and gaining new experience in human relationships;

- stimulation of new “I-concepts” and new models of identification;

- creating a feeling of less isolation in the outside world;

- a sense of security from the adult world;

- adequate assistance;

- reducing resistance or submission, increasing independence and identification with the leader;

- identifying problems related to relationships with others.

The most important thing here is that the teacher draws the attention of adolescents to their experiences, thus consolidating their personal, and therefore valuable, experience.

As a result, the teenager begins to see what he had not previously suspected, his “I” begins to appear more freely, and the hidden area of ​​his personality also begins to be realized.

In group work conditions, it is possible to introduce teenagers to qualitatively different knowledge, skills and methods of interaction based on the interpretation of individual experience and personal involvement in intragroup processes.

The teacher’s task is to monitor and use all processes occurring in the group. In order for interaction to be effective, so that it helps everyone solve the tasks that they set for themselves, there are several principles and rules of group interaction, i.e. internal laws of group functioning:

Rule "here and now"

. The main thing is what is happening now, what feelings each of the participants is experiencing at the moment, because Only through actual experiences and through group experience can a person know himself. During classes, you can only use information about each other that the participant provides about himself during group work. Past communication experience is not discussed and cannot be presented in class as an argument. You are not allowed to leave the premises during classes.

The principle of emotional openness.

If a participant thinks or feels something important constantly, “here and now,” then he can be told about it, express his feelings so that they become part of the group experience.

STOP rule.

Everyone has the right to say: “I have a feeling, but I don’t want to talk about it, it hurts me.” This experience also becomes part of the group experience, which brings about new feelings and new perspectives on group work.

Rule of sincerity.

One should only talk about real feelings, and not about those that would reassure him, justify him, or, conversely, offend him. If you give distorted feedback to your communication partner, this may lead to the formation of an erroneous opinion, both about yourself and about others.

The "don't give advice" rule.

Advice, even if necessary and correct, is difficult to implement, but not because it is bad or unrealistic, but because advice is, firstly, an individual way of action that is not suitable for another person, and, secondly, advice - this is a restriction of the personal freedom of another, which can cause unconscious aggression towards the adviser.

The “I am statements” rule.

In a group, it is important that each participant says any phrase only on his own behalf, because Only by saying something on your own behalf can you talk about your thoughts and feelings.

No diagnosis or evaluation rule.

Evaluating an action without a request is a restriction of personal freedom, giving rise to anxiety about possible subsequent evaluations that the participant may receive from other participants; this can lead to the emergence of “closedness” of some group members or to the desire to adapt to the opinions of other group members.

The principle of personal responsibility.

Everything that happens or will happen to a given person in the process of group work is a consequence of his personal activity, and therefore is entirely under his responsibility. You can say anything in class, but you must be personally responsible for your words.

The principle of personal contribution.

The more a participant is active, the more he participates in group work, the more feedback he will receive, and, therefore, the more opportunities for personal growth he will have.

Privacy Rule.

It is prohibited to talk outside the group about what happened during the training or how this or that group member behaved.

"Presumption of health."

Participants take responsibility for recognizing themselves as healthy people.

The "circle" principle.

During work, each participant must see everyone.

The principle of participant initiative.

During classes, any topic is discussed based on the internal requests of those present. The topic that is most relevant comes first.

The principle of inclusion.

There are no supervisors, observers, or “evaluators” during the classes.

The principle of "constancy".

You cannot miss classes.

The effectiveness of group classes is ensured by compliance with certain conditions. The parental position must be avoided; refuse advice, transfer responsibility for their lives to teenagers; maintain equality of positions as a condition for development and ensure emotional acceptance of minors. Compliance with these rules when working with a group contributes to the intensive “unfolding” of the process of personal growth of the participants and their mastery of communication skills as essential personal values.

S.V. Bogdanova – MPL employee

Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for the Udmurt Republic

“Picture of the world” of minors (based on the results of a study of the categorical structures of consciousness of adolescents convicted of crimes of varying severity)

The psychosemantic approach is a relatively new area of ​​Russian psychology, which emerged in the early 1970s. Currently, this method is increasingly included in the arsenal of psychologists. In our opinion, this method is unjustifiably little used in the work of penitentiary psychologists. This is probably due to some difficulties in developing and interpreting the data obtained using this method. However, we see a future in the application of psychosemantic methods in the penitentiary system. It is no secret that standard methods do not always provide a complete and accurate picture of the personality of the convicted person. The psychosemantic approach, according to V.F. Petrenko, “allows us to outline new principles of personality typology, where the subject’s personality is considered not as a set of object characteristics in the space of diagnostic indicators, but as a bearer of a certain picture of the world, as a kind of microcosm of individual values ​​and meanings. The identified factors allow you to see the world “through the eyes of the subject”, to feel his ways of understanding the world. The task of psychosemantics includes the reconstruction of an individual system of meanings, through the prism of which the subject perceives the world, other people and himself.” The subject of psychosemantics is the modeling of systems of meaning as structures of representation of experience in consciousness. An individual system of meanings is a concept introduced by A.N. Leontyev, who defined it as one of the three components of individual consciousness, along with personal meaning and sensory tissue. Thus, according to the definition of V.F. Petrenko, the object of study of psychosemantics is individual consciousness, as “the highest form of mental reflection, capable of development and self-development, carrying in its structures the social experience appropriated by the subject, modeling the world and transforming it in activity.” Thus, consciousness, as an integrative function, performing a control function, has its own content, which manifests itself for us primarily in language, determining the individual system of meanings of consciousness (categorical structures of individual consciousness). V.F. Petrenko believes that the concept of “categorical structures of individual consciousness”, introduced by domestic psychologists, is close to the concept of “system of personal constructs” introduced by J. Kelly, because constructs determine the system of subjective categories through the prism of which the subject perceives the external world. Based on the theory of J. Kelly, a construct can be defined as a special subjective means, constructed by the person himself, tested in his own experience, with the help of which a person identifies, evaluates and predicts events, organizes his behavior, “understands” other people, reconstructs a system of relationships and builds "Image of Self" This is at the same time a way of behavior, a parameter of relationships and assessments, and a cognitive semantic division and opposition.

The identification of categorical structures of consciousness and the construction of semantic spaces on their basis made it possible to identify some features of the “picture of the world” of juvenile convicts serving sentences for crimes of varying degrees of severity: rape, murder, theft, drugs, hooliganism. The most important procedure for statistical processing of the results of psychosemantic research is factor analysis.

Factor analysis in its mathematical meaning is “reducing the dimension of space”, and in psychological terms it is a procedure for combining scales into factor groups based on the similarity of values, and each group is interpreted as one generalized scale, which is the true assessment category for a given subject.

Ultimately, the number of true evaluation categories is revealed. That is, the original matrix had 77 scales, but this does not mean that the subject uses all of these scales in real life. This is too fragmented, and the subject, only obeying the instructions, tries to distinguish between these estimates and use each of them accurately, but in a real situation, where we need to act quickly, each of us uses only a few familiar generalized estimates. These are the scores we ultimately get instead of 77. That is, these scales are, as it were, “glued together” into several factors, and each factor contains those scales that are close in meaning to each other for a given subject. This information gives an idea of ​​the real (and not the assumed, specified in the original matrix) evaluative categories that the minor uses to evaluate a certain area, and, in addition, reveals the hierarchy of the subject’s semantic categories. That is, in the original matrix, all scales are equal, and we have no way to say which of them is more important for the subject, and factor analysis builds a system of categories according to the degree of decrease in the number of scales included in the factor, and therefore, according to the degree of relevance for the subject. This is already a valuable result, giving a holistic picture of the subject’s system of relationships.

In addition, attention should be paid to the characteristic of cognitive complexity. Cognitive complexity can be defined as the ability to take into account a large number of factors when assessing a situation, or the ability to differentiate the features of a perceived object. The greater the cognitive complexity, the more differentiated the subject represents the area under study. However, an excessive number of factors may indicate mental problems. We obtained the following number of factors for each type of crime: those convicted of rape - 9, those convicted of murder - 7, those convicted of theft - 9, those convicted of drug possession - 9, those convicted of hooliganism - 3.

The first factor is the most significant. It gives an idea of ​​what is most important for this subject in the area under study, that is, it already allows one to reach some important conclusions. Analysis of the entire system of obtained factors allows us to see the entire system of a person’s relationship to the area under study. In our case, the factors received the following names.

Convicted for rape

: “Social desirability”, “Education, competence” – “Selfishness”, “Coincidence of circumstances”, “Accentuated aggressiveness” – “Money”, “Beneficial communication” – “Idleness causing cruelty”, “Personal rejection”, “Fear of action” , hostility”, “Self-acceptance, predictive abilities” - “Beautiful appearance”, “Grandictiveness, avoidance of difficulties”.

Convicted for murder

: “Social desirability”, “Education, competence”, “Volitional activity” – “Envy”, “Aggressiveness”, “Self-sufficiency” – “Cunning”, “Granity, perseverance” – “Avoidance of difficulties”, “Luck, aggressiveness” – "Ability to take risks."

Convicted for theft

: “Responsibility, independence” - “Aggressiveness”, “Luck, education”, “Humanity, sincerity, sincerity” - “Cunning”, “Activity, knowledge, confidence” - “Evasion”, “Cunningness” - “Dependent perseverance”, “Decency”, “Arrogance”, “Insolence” - “Additional knowledge”, “Self-confidence”.

Convicted for drug possession

: “Decency” – “Anger”, “Education, activity”, “Insolence” – “Cunningness”, “Responsiveness” – “Recklessness”, “Duplicity” – “Self-esteem, boredom”, “Self-sufficiency” – “Non-interference”, “ Cunning”, “Cruelty” - “Helplessness”, “Arrogance” - “Help from friends”.

Convicted for hooliganism

: “Skills and abilities”, “Aggressiveness” - “Ability to weave intrigues”, “Cunning, anger, fear” - “Passivity”.

Let us note that in the literature we have come across the statement that education has lost its significance for modern youth and the desire to achieve material values ​​by any means comes first among minors. Our research data does not support these claims. Already on the basis of factor analysis alone, the importance of education for minors becomes obvious. The question is whether they will be able to get it in modern conditions, when there is widespread talk about the transition to paid education. Recently, the school education system has raised the issue of reducing the number of mandatory free hours and transferring the rest to a paid basis. Will this lead to the fact that for a certain category of families education will be inaccessible? Already now, judging by factor analysis, minors combine the concepts of “education” and “fate.” In our opinion, this proximity already indicates a lack of faith in the possibility of obtaining an education.

No less important for minors are the qualities of “social desirability”: respect for others, good manners, honesty, ability to keep one’s word, self-confidence, ability to get along with people, ability to forgive, sensitivity, discipline, patience, etc. Will a society that has attached the label “difficult” and “criminal” begin to respect a minor? Can a young man be confident in himself when he is considered unsuccessful almost from elementary school? Is it possible that “anger”, “aggression”, “cruelty”, “arrogance”, “resourcefulness” will take first place in the minds of minors?

Analysis of semantic spaces revealed the importance of education for getting a job, career growth, and making good money. Minors realize that without education they will be deprived of many opportunities in life. Moreover, education is necessary to change your life. At the same time, the importance of education for working on oneself is not realized. Despite the importance of education for the subjects, for all of them it is associated with negative emotions, which indicates a negative experience gained in the school system.

In addition, I would like to note the identified ideas about the family among minors serving sentences in a correctional educational colony.

Convicted for rape

: 1. There is no understanding of the functions of the father in the family. 2. The possibility of creating a family not for love is allowed. 3. Family can be an obstacle to making money. 4. You can buy a sexual partner with money. 5. Sexual partner and loved one are different concepts. Moreover, meeting a loved one, the opportunity to have a family, to have children causes fear and hostility. 6. Meeting a sexual partner is possible if you take into account past mistakes. 7. Raising children well requires money and aggression.

Convicted for murder

: 1. A loved one and a sexual partner are different concepts. 2. Family and the opportunity to earn good money are incompatible concepts. 3. The educational function of the family is not understood. 4. You can create a family not necessarily with your loved one. A family partner is perceived primarily as a sexual partner. Although it is necessary to have children from a loved one. 5. To have a family you need to be aggressive. 6. Only a self-sufficient person can create a family with a loved one, be faithful to him and have children from him. 7. Good parenting can be achieved through resentment and perseverance.

Convicted for theft

: 1. Concepts: family, loved one, sexual partner, children are not interconnected. The functions of the family are not understood. 2. In order to have a family, meet a loved one, have children, and be a good family man, you need such qualities as humanity, warmth, and sincerity. In addition, creating a family with a loved one requires arrogance. Family relationships with a loved one can be built with the help of aggression. In this case there is a clear contradiction. 3. You can have children not only from a loved one, it can just be a sexual partner. Only those who are active, educated, and self-confident can have children with a loved one. 4. Minors believe that it is possible to have children and be independent at the same time. 5. The concepts of family and good earnings are not related to each other. 6. The state and grandparents should be involved in raising children.

Convicted for drug possession

: 1. The functions of the family are also not understood. All objects related to the family are located at a distance from each other. 2. Minors perceive the concept of “having one sexual partner” as “a person with whom they have sexual contact at the present time, here and now.” This requires good health and acceptance of others and responsiveness. Moreover, responsiveness is not so important for meeting a loved one; in this case, it is more necessary to get rid of the feeling of guilt. Also, a sexual partner is necessary for a feeling of self-sufficiency, success, and recognition from others. 3. Having a family requires impudence. 4. You can have children only by learning to control yourself and having such a quality as arrogance. 5. Having a family, having children, being a good family man is necessary to be “like everyone else,” but in general it is not very interesting and boring. 6. Having a lot of money contributes to a good upbringing.

Convicted for hooliganism

: 1. This category of minors is understood as the economic and everyday function of the family and the family is not an obstacle to earning money. Although, on the other hand, to have a family, you need such qualities as resourcefulness, anger and fear. 2. Having one sexual partner means taking responsibility. 3. You can only raise your children well by your own example. To do this, you need to achieve recognition from others. 4. Communication in the family should be based on aggression. Aggressive qualities must also be shown towards a loved one. In relation to a sexual partner, aggression is manifested to a lesser extent, and to a greater extent the ability to weave intrigue is required. 5. A family must be created with a loved one. 6. To have children, to meet your loved one, you need to get rid of bad habits. 7. To achieve recognition from others, you need to be a good family man.

Based on the above, we see areas in which it is necessary to build work with minors. Firstly, given the importance of education, to give minors the opportunity to acquire a profession in prison, and not just a working profession. It is necessary to build a distance system for obtaining secondary vocational and higher education in specialties that are significant in society. Secondly, individual correctional work is needed, aimed at increasing the self-esteem of minors and developing self-confidence. Thirdly, taking into account distorted ideas about the family, about relationships with loved ones, it is necessary to conduct correctional and educational classes that contribute to changing the learned system of relationships. In addition, many minors end up in correctional institutions with large gaps in their school knowledge and are forced to study in classes that are not appropriate for their age, which causes negative emotions on their part. In our opinion, it would be more advisable to develop individual training programs that provide an opportunity to quickly fill gaps in knowledge and study in age-appropriate classes.

I.V. Kucherenko – senior psychologist of the MPL GUFSIN of Russia for the Rostov region

Medical resocialization

Medical resocialization measures concern the restoration of the prisoner’s health, but not only physical health. Prison conditions affect both the physical condition of a person and his psycho-emotional side.

There are many people with mental disabilities in the criminal environment. Often such deviations develop in them as a result of an antisocial lifestyle, drug and alcohol abuse, as well as multiple traumatic brain injuries. All this requires working with such people from various medical specialists.

Their help is also needed by other people who have fallen under the influence of such criminal elements, since living with them in prison also affects their health.

The development of measures for resocialization and the choice of its strategy is preceded by a comprehensive diagnosis of existing problems. As a result, one of the following strategies for working with the prisoner can be determined:

• Prevention.
• Correction.
• Diagnostics.
• Rehabilitation.
• Recovery.
• Development.

Often these models need to be combined, carrying out complex work with a person.