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DOI: 10.15862/15SCSK125 (https://doi.org/10.15862/15SCSK125)

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Kataev D.V. [On the relevance of the contradictory process of democratization in the Russian penitentiary system] World of Science. Series: Sociology, Philology, Cultural Studies, 2025, Vol. 16, No. 1. Available at: https://sfk-mn.ru/PDF/15SCSK125.pdf (in Russian). DOI: 10.15862/15SCSK125

On the relevance of the contradictory process of democratization in the Russian penitentiary system

Kataev Dmitry Valentinovich
Lipetsk State Pedagogical University named after P.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, Lipetsk, Russia
E-mail: dmitrikataev@rambler.ru
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4391-8949
RSCI: https://elibrary.ru/author_profile.asp?id=664724
WoS: https://www.webofscience.com/wos/author/rid/S-6643-2017
SCOPUS: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.url?authorId=56177681100

Abstract. Punishment in the form of imprisonment in domestic penitentiary practice is one of the most controversial in terms of its goals. The proposed article is devoted to the analysis of contradictions arising in the process of democratization of the Russian penitentiary system. The global trend towards democratization and humanization of the process of executing sentences in the form of imprisonment does not leave our country aside either. The author examines the key challenges associated with the adaptation of domestic correctional institutions to modern social, legal and humanitarian requirements of international standards for the treatment of prisoners. Among the main contradictions, it is customary to single out: the discrepancy between international standards (for example, the Nelson Mandela Rules) and national priorities in the field of penal enforcement. The consequence of this, according to the author, is the conflict between the humanization of criminal policy and traditional approaches to punishment, as well as limited resources for the implementation of democratic reforms. The article critically analyzes the ideas of democratization of the penitentiary system, with reference to the work of the American sociologist John Rappaport, who questions the effectiveness of democratic mechanisms in criminal justice. Instead, it is proposed to focus on expert solutions and bureaucratic reforms. The article also examines the concept of de-differentiation proposed by Johan Friedrich Raya and Sigurd Oppegaard, which emphasizes the blurring of boundaries between institutions in modern society, which affects social control and power. In conclusion, it is concluded that the activities of civil society institutions should be analyzed more carefully and democratic control mechanisms should be implemented with a certain degree of caution.

Keywords: deprivation of liberty; penitentiary system; reform of the penitentiary system; democratization of the penitentiary system; humanization of the penitentiary system; criminal justice; democratic control of the penitentiary system; Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners; Nelson Mandela Rules

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