Environmental law and the essence of separation of prisoners sentenced to imprisonment: structural analysis

Academy of the Federal penitentiary service of Russian Federation, 1 Sennaya str., Ryazan, 390000, Russian Federation

^* Corresponding author: ugolovastova@yandex.ru

Abstract

The article examines existing approaches and different opinions of scholars-penitentiaries regarding the legal nature of separation of prisoners sentenced to imprisonment. The legal analysis of positions of scholars in the field of criminal executive law, who investigated the essence of separation of prisoners sentenced to imprisonment in various aspects, made it possible to highlight following approaches: 1) principle of institution of execution of punishment in the form of imprisonment; 2) means of ensuring the regime; 3) condition for implementation of principle of differentiation; 4) special classification issue; 5) type of classification; 6) intrageneric institution; 7) criminal-executive means of preventing crimes in correctional institutions. The authors come to the conclusion that separation of convicts is an inter-sectoral institution (in a broad sense), and also belongs to the category of internal penal means (in a narrow sense). Arguing this point of view, the general constant and special features of legal institutions and legal means and their application to the subject of research are considered. The authors identify and substantiate the main tasks of separation of prisoners and its functions, which are an external manifestation of its essence and determine the social and legal purpose, functional connection with other phenomena. As a result of study of the legal nature, the author’s definition of separate maintenance of those sentenced to imprisonment is proposed, its goals are highlighted and argued.