The author notes in the article that security in penal institutions consists of three components: physical, procedural and dynamic security. All three components play an important role in preventing violence in penal institutions. The author points out the main directions of improving the security components in penal institutions and identifies the main problems that arise in the activities of law enforcement officers and which are related to the prevention of violent criminal offenses.

The author notes that today in the world there are so-called “synthetic drugs”, which must be included to a special list. The practice of combating drug addiction indicates that the procedure for amending this list is quite bureaucratic and does not keep up with the development of new substances. An expert, in turn, conducting an expert research, can’t recognize a substance that is not in this list of drugs. This fact makes it impossible to bring a perpetrator to justice.

The article states that another problematic issue in the activities related to the prevention of violent crimes in penal institutions is the fact that convicts possess assault weapons. Bringing them to justice under Art. 263 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (Illegal handling of the weapon, ammunition or explosives) for carrying, manufacturing, repair or sale of daggers, Finnish knives, knuckles or other cold-arms without the permission provided by the law is possible only after the conclusion of an expert. Such a conclusion must contain the information that the assault weapon seized from a convict is a cold-arms. Very often, items used by convicts as weapons in order to attack, although outwardly meet the requirements for cold-arms, but do not pass these rather severe static and dynamic tests.

Key words: criminal offenses, violent crime, penal institution, prohibited items, convict.

References

1. Bodnar, I.V. (2021), “Ensuring security in penal institutions”. Scientific Herald of Sivreshchyna. Series: Law. No. 1 (12), PP. 92–102. https://doi.org/10.32755/sjlaw.2021.01.092
2. Ukraine (2018), Rules of Internal Procedure of Penal Institutions: Order, Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, Kyiv.
3. Ukraine (2000), List of Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Precursors: Resolution, Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, Kyiv.
4. Ukraine (1999), Methods of Forensic Investigation of Cold-Arms and Structurally Similar Products: Decision of the extended meeting of the SCMC section, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the Coordinating Council for Forensic Science, Kyiv.