Psychological Characteristics of Professional Activity of the Penitentiary System Officers

The purpose of this study is some psychological characteristics of professional activity of the penitentiary system officers. Performing their professional duties, the officers of the penitentiary system must combine both coercive and humanistic approaches of work.

The objective of the study is to conduct an analysis of preventive activity in overcoming professional deformation as one of the tasks of educational work conducted with the penitentiary system officers. When analyzing the professional activities of officers of the operational units of the penitentiary system, the main psychological feature and stress factor is the real danger and the need for constant focus. The risk factors are the "everyday" situations that officers face: prisoner conflicts, sexual abuse of weaker prisoners, the sight of human suffering. All these aspects are capable of causing professional deformation.

Conclusions: the author draws attention to the signs and consequences of professional deformation, which are often aggravated by the influence of a criminal element on a penitentiary officer, which also occurs. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out preventive and educational measures.