Moral Education of Convicts: History, Trends, Modern Challenges
Panova O.B. Moral education of convicts: history, trends, modern challenges. Penitentiary Science, 2026, vol. 20, no. 3 (75), pp. 331–340. doi 10.46741/27132811.2026.75.3.012
the article summarizes foundational knowledge on moral education in prisons
that has been developed and passed down across various stages of the evolution of correctional
pedagogy. It presents the moral education of offenders as an integrated framework drawing
on insights from multiple branches of penitentiary science, including law, psychology, and
pedagogy. Additionally, the article highlights examples of successful pedagogical practices that
underscore the importance of fostering moral education among convicts. This involves exposing
them to traditional moral norms and values, as well as nurturing their internal readiness to act in
line with society’s established concepts of good and evil. The study’s relevance stems from the
societal and state demand to define the content of moral education for convicts, so that it aligns,
on the one hand, with established traditions, and, on the other, with contemporary challenges that
undermine society’s moral foundations. Purpose: to identify trends that contribute to the success
of moral education among convicts, taking into account their continuity at different stages of the
development of penitentiary science. Methods: theoretical analysis, historical and pedagogical
analysis, generalization and systematization of pedagogically significant information, study of the
texts of regulatory legal acts, description of fragments of pedagogical experience based on Russian
sources of information, and a questionnaire survey, structuring and interpretation of the answers
given by the surveyed respondents. Results: the conducted research has revealed general trends
that contribute to the success of moral education among convicts. These include the following
factors: encouraging convicts to consciously reject criminal “norms” and embrace traditional
spiritual and moral values; involving convicts in socially acceptable interactive activities; creating
a humane educational environment in correctional facilities; and integrating moral education with
other areas, such as legal, spiritual, and patriotic education. The article highlights the importance
of utilizing the pedagogical heritage in contemporary Russian practice. The information obtained
during the study can serve as a basis for the staff of the educational departments to determine
the content of moral education for convicts when solving a wide range of problems related to the
correction of convicts. In addition, the scientific novelty of this research lies in the clarification of the
concept of “moral consciousness of convicts”; the specification of the list of values in the structure of
a person’s moral axiosphere; and the structuring of the pedagogical process of moral education into
a complex designed to actualize the convict’s personal spheres. As a new trend in the organization
of moral education for convicts, the formation of information literacy among convicts is being
considered as an important component of the moral consciousness of modern people. Conclusions:
moral education of convicts has always been considered a complex problem that can be solved by
overcoming the personal deformation of an offender. In today’s context, it is advisable to ground
the moral education of convicts in the positive pedagogical experience preserved in the legacy of
earlier generations of penitentiary scholars, while also addressing the contemporary threats that
risk eroding society’s traditional foundations. The nature of these challenges shapes the approach to moral education, enabling correctional institutions to offer additional avenues for influencing
key aspects of a convict’s personality and to foster pedagogical conditions that help kindle their
motivation to lead a socially acceptable life.
Keywords: convicts; moral education; pedagogical heritage; educational process; moral consciousness; moral values; trends in moral education; challenges to traditional moral principles.
the modern Russian language: 100,000 words and phrases]. Moscow, 2013. 799 p.
2. Nikitin V.N. Tyur’ma i ssylka. Istoricheskoe, zakonodatel’noe, administrativnoe i bytovoe polozhenie zaklyuchennykh,
peresyl’nykh, ikh detei i osvobozhdennykh iz-pod strazhi, sovremeni vozniknoveniya russkoi tyur’my, do nashikh dnei.
1560–1880 g. [Prison and exile. The historical, legislative, administrative, and everyday status of prisoners, transferees,
their children, and those released from custody, from the emergence of the Russian prison system to the present day.
1560–1880]. Saint Petersburg, 1880. 665 p.
3. Poznyshev S.V. Osnovy penitentsiarnoi nauki [Fundamentals of penitentiary science]. Moscow, 1923. 342 p.
4. Foinitskii I.Ya. Uchenie o nakazanii v svyazi s tyur’movedeniem [Doctrine of punishment in connection with prison studies].
Saint Petersburg, 1889. 504 p.
5. Ustav Moskovskago Gorodskago Rukavishnikovskago priyuta dlya maloletnikh i podsledstvennago otdeleniya pri nem
[Charter of the Moscow City Rukavishnikov Shelter for Minors and the Investigative Department attached to it]. Moscow,
1890. 12 p.
6. Luchinskii N.F. Osnovy tyuremnogo dela [Fundamentals of prison management]. Saint Petersburg, 1904. 180 p.
7. Peterburgskaya zemledel’cheskaya koloniya dlya maloletnikh. Ustav Zemledel’cheskoi kolonii bliz Peterburga [St. Petersburg
agricultural juvenile correctional facility for minors. Charter of the agricultural correctional facility near St. Petersburg].
Saint Petersburg, 1886. 4 p.
8. Belyankova E.I. The system of pedagogical prevention of juvenile delinquency in the Saint Petersburg agricultural colony
under the leadership of A.Ya. Gerd. Mir nauki. Pedagogika i psikhologiya = World of Science. Pedagogy and Psychology,
2021, vol. 9, no. 5. Available at: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=47830326&ysclid=mo7on9d1ll482607857 (In Russ.). (Accessed
April 22, 2026).
9. Ionin I.V. Shkola-koloniya Krasnye zori: Iz opyta detskoi trudovoi shkoly-kolonii [School‑Colony Red Dawns: from the
experience of a children’s labor school-colony]. Leningrad, 1933. 118 p.
10. Makarenko A.S. Vospitanie grazhdanina: sbornik [Education of a Citizen: a collection]. Moscow, 1988. 304 p.
11. Soroka-Rosinskii V.N. Pedagogicheskie sochineniya [Pedagogical works]. Moscow, 1991. 240 p.
12. Pogrebinskii M.S. Fabrika lyudei: Trudovaya kommuna OGPU [The Factory of People: Labor Commune of the OGPU].
Moscow, 1929. 35 p.
13. Bublikova G.G. Povest’ o “Krasnykh Zoryakh”: dokumental’nyi rasskaz ob unikal’nom detskom uchrezhdenii, sushchestvovavshem
v Strel’ne Leningradskoi oblasti v 1919–1941 [The Story of the “Red Dawns”: a documentary story
about a unique children’s institution that existed in Strelna, Leningrad Oblast, in 1919–1941]. Saint Petersburg, 1996.
140 p.
14. Prokopov M.P. Nravstvennoe vospitanie osuzhdennykh k lisheniyu svobody [Moral education of convicts sentenced to
imprisonment]. Moscow, 1974. 108 p.
15. Patralov B.S. Nravstvenno-esteticheskoe vospitanie osuzhdennykh [Penitentiary pedagogy: textbook]. Leningrad,
1980. 75 p.
16. Some forms of moral and aesthetic education of convicts: methodological recommendations. In: Politotdel ITU MVD
SSSR [Political Department of the ITU of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs]. Moscow, 1974. 38 p.
17. Dolgova A.I. Sotsial’no-psikhologicheskie aspekty prestupnosti nesovershennoletnikh: monogr. [Socio-psychological
aspects of juvenile crime: monograph]. Moscow, 1981. 159 p.
18. Pishchelko A.V. Sotsial’no-pedagogicheskie osnovy nravstvennogo perevospitaniya osuzhdennykh: ucheb. posobie
[Socio‑pedagogical foundations of the moral re-education of convicts: study guide]. Moscow, 1992. 188 p.
19. Sturova M.P., Kuz’min S.I., Zubkov A.I. et al. Ispravitel’naya (penitentsiarnaya) pedagogika: uchebnik dlya slushatelei i
kursantov uchebnykh zavedenii MVD RF [Correctional (penitentiary) pedagogy: textbook for students and cadets of educational
institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation]. Ryazan, 1993. 398 p.
20. Danilyuk A.Ya., Kondakov A.M., Tishkov V.A. Kontseptsiya dukhovno-nravstvennogo razvitiya i vospitaniya lichnosti
grazhdanina Rossii v sfere obshchego obrazovaniya: proekt [Concept of spiritual and moral development and upbringing
of the personality of a Russian citizen in the field of general education: a project]. Moscow, 2009. 29 p.
21. Panova O.B. Penitentsiarnaya pedagogika: ucheb. posobie [Penitentiary pedagogy: textbook]. Vologda, 2023. 238 p.
22. Vilkova A.V. Gendernaya kontseptsiya i metodologiya formirovaniya dukhovno-nravstvennykh tsennostei nesovershennoletnikh
osuzhdennykh zhenskogo pola: avtoref. dis. … . d-ra ped. nauk [Gender concept and methodology for the
formation of spiritual and moral values in female juvenile offenders: Doctor of Sciences (Pedagogy) dissertation abstract].
Veliky Novgorod, 2016. 46 p.
23. Zautorova E.V. Nravstvenno-ehsteticheskoe vospitanie osuzhdennykh: avtoref. dis. … d-ra ped. nauk [Moral and aesthetic
education of convicts: Doctor of Sciences (Pedagogy) dissertation abstract]. Moscow, 2011. 47 p.
24. Sturova M.P. Formation of a humane pedagogical environment as an optimal condition for achieving the goal of punishment.
In: Sbornik nauchnykh trudov [Collection of scientific papers]. Moscow, 2004. No. 1. Pp. 85–90. (In Russ.).
25. Vorob’ev S.M. Spiritual and moral education of convicts as a means of forming patriotism: an example of the activities
of the Russian Orthodox Church. Chelovek: prestuplenie i nakazanie = Man: Crime and Punishment, 2025, vol. 33 (3), pp.
440–452. (In Russ.).
26. Rozhkov M.I., Baiborodova L.V. Organizatsiya vospitatel’nogo protsessa v shkole: uchebnoe posobie dlya studentov
vuzov [Organization of the educational process at school: textbook for university students]. Moscow, 2000. 256 p.
