To the Issue of Training Prison Officers in the Russian Empire

The article highlights the historical aspects of activities related to the training of personnel of penitentiary institutions. The measures taken by the State in this area were designed to improve the moral and professional level of penitentiary workers. The time frame of the study covers the period of the XVII early XX centuries, which is due to the circumstances that influenced the content of the prison system in Russia. In fact, during this period, the foundations of the education of penitentiary workers were born, which have been preserved to this day. Turning to history in this case will allow us to see the original meaning and significance of this activity. The article is intended to draw attention to the importance of this issue and show the historical connection between the goals and tasks facing penitentiary institutions and those who implement them. The source base was made up of legal acts indicating the implementation of state measures, as well as materials from the archival funds of the State Archive of the Kursk Region, which made it possible to see and analyze the results of local transformations. Of particular importance is the assessment of contemporaries, presented in the materials of a scientific and journalistic nature. The issues of training prison officers were actualized in the middle of the XIX century due to the fact that the prison from a place of isolation of criminals began to be reorganized into a penitentiary-type institution. In this regard, it became necessary to develop a model of a prison employee who meets the new requirements and conditions of activity. In fact, this resulted in a number of changes in the course of reforming the prison system, such as the reorganization of positions, salary increases, the establishment of a uniform uniform, the introduction of a system of incentives and penalties, information and explanatory work, etc. The concepts of education or educational influence on prison staff were not openly proclaimed. They were, as it were, implied as the final result of the successful implementation of these measures. The use of educational means of influence was a component of the process of general professional training of personnel.