The article is devoted to the current state of penitentiary personnel’s legal culture and consideration of the problems that need to be solved. It is noted that penitentiary personnel’s efficiency largely depends on the legal culture and is a necessary condition for the proper implementation of tasks related to the criminal penalties execution. The author’s vision is formulated in relation to the components that affect the current state of penitentiary personnel’s legal culture. Some normative and legal acts that cardinally influence the system by forming elements of legal culture are analyzed. Emphasis is placed on the fact that among the means of legal regulation used in order to neutralize the negative impact on the quality of their professional activities are both a system of incentives and sanctions.

The main tasks that are implemented during penitentiary personnel’s initial training and retraining in direction of forming their legal culture are revealed in the article. Namely they are the following: focusing personnel’s legal consciousness on loyalty to the state’s interests; formation of an individual position in the assessment of criminal and executive activity; awareness of the importance of processes related to the implementation of international penitentiary standards in criminal enforcement processes; learning the ability to work competently, politely and reasonably with citizens’ appeals. It is noted that the current system of training of penitentiary personnel allows not only to form the understanding of the value of criminal and executive as well as international penitentiary legislation, but also allows to master the mechanism of their practical application.

There are following problems: the need to improve the quality of legal information of the personnel using modern technologies, especially at the level of institutions and establishments; the need to create offices of legal knowledge at institutions and establishments with the involvement of the employees having positive experience in the practical application of criminal law; introduction of a system of advising personnel on issues related to their official activities.

Key words: State Criminal and Executive Service, legal culture, penitentiary personnel, staff, formation of legal culture, penal bodies and institutions.

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