Instituto de Estudios Políticos y Derecho Público "Dr. Humberto J. La Roche"
de la Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Políticas de la Universidad del Zulia
Maracaibo, Venezuela
Esta publicación cientíca en formato digital es continuidad de la revista impresa
ISSN-Versión Impresa 0798-1406 / ISSN-Versión on line 2542-3185Depósito legal pp
197402ZU34
ppi 201502ZU4645
Vol.41 N° 79
Octubre
Diciembre
2023
Recibido el 07/04/23 Aceptado el 05/07/23
ISSN 0798- 1406 ~ De pó si to le gal pp 198502ZU132
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Vol. 41, Nº 79 (2023), 290-300
IEPDP-Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Políticas - LUZ
Legislative perspectives of ensuring
public control over the observance of the
rights of convicts in Ukraine
DOI: https://doi.org/10.46398/cuestpol.4179.19
Pavlo Harasym *
Oleksii Humin **
Roman Shai ***
Svitlana Soroka ****
Anna Bondarchuk *****
Abstract
The study conducted an analysis of the concept of public control
over the observance of the rights of convicted persons in the eld
of enforcement of sentences and parole. On the basis of the use
of general methods and reective points of view, the denition
of public control over the observance of the rights of convicted
persons was formulated. In addition, the use of separate special scientic
methods provides arguments for the expediency of making changes in the
Criminal Executive Code of Ukraine, by enshrining in it a separate chapter
that would regulate legal relations in the sphere of public control and on
the sphere of observance of the rights and interests of convicted persons
in places of punishment; as well as a separate article that would dene the
content, forms and types of public control over the functioning of bodies and
institutions of execution of punishment and probation. It was concluded
on the necessity of observance of the rights and legitimate interests of a
* Candidate of Law, Associate Professor, Head of the Lviv District Police Department of the Main
Directorate of the National Police of Ukraine in the Lviv Region Colonel of police Doctoral Student of
Lviv Polytechnic National University, Lviv, Ukraine. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0336-
4710. Email: pavlogarasym@gmail.com
** Doctor in Law, Professor, Head of the Department of Criminal Law and Procedure of the Educational
and Scientic Institute of Law, Psychology and Innovative Education, Lviv Polytechnic National
University, Lviv, Ukraine. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8016-945X. Email: gumin@ukr.
net
*** Candidate of Law, Associate Professor, Associate Professor of Criminal Law and Procedure Lviv
Polytechnic National University, Lviv, Ukraine. ORСID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2788-6035.
Email: romanshai@gmail.com
**** Candidate of Law, Associate Professor, Associate Professor at the Department of Criminal Law and
Procedure of the Educational and Scientic Institute of Law, Psychology and Innovative Education,
Lviv Polytechnic National University, Lviv, Ukraine. ORСID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9351-
4531. Email: soroka.sv66@gmail.com
***** PhD., in Law, Senior Teacher of the Department of Criminal Law, National Academy of Internal
Aairs, Кyiv, Ukraine. ORСID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0799-5218. Email: volk28021192@
gmail.com
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CUESTIONES POLÍTICAS
Vol. 41 Nº 79 (2023): 290-300
person in the sphere of execution of punishment and probation, since, by
their nature, they do not belong to public associations.
Keywords: public control; criminal enforcement activity; legislative
activity; penal institutions; probation bodies.
Perspectivas legislativas para garantizar el control
público sobre la observancia de los derechos de los
condenados en Ucrania
Resumen
El estudio llevó a cabo un análisis del concepto del control público sobre
la observancia de los derechos de los condenados, en el campo de la ejecución
de las penas y la libertad condicional. Sobre la base del uso de métodos
generales y puntos de vista reexivos, se formuló la denición de control
público sobre la observancia de los derechos de los condenados. Ademas, el
uso de métodos cientícos especiales separados brinda argumentos para la
conveniencia de realizar cambios en el Código Ejecutivo Penal de Ucrania,
al consagrar en él un capítulo separado que regularía las relaciones legales
en la esfera del control público y sobre la esfera de la observación de los
derechos e intereses de condenados en los lugares de pena; así como un
artículo separado que deniría el contenido, las formas y los tipos de control
público sobre el funcionamiento de los órganos e instituciones de ejecución
de penas y de libertad vigilada. Se llego a la conclusión sobre la necesidad
de la observancia de los derechos e intereses legítimos de una persona en el
ámbito de la ejecución de las penas y la libertad condicional, ya que, por su
naturaleza, no pertenecen a asociaciones públicas.
Palabras clave: control público; actividad de ejecución penal; actividad
legislativa; instituciones penales; órganos de libertad
condicional.
Introduction
Public control over the activity of a person’s rights and legitimate interests
in any sphere of public life is a prerequisite and an indispensable element
of building interaction between the public and other state institutions,
law enforcement agencies, justice agencies, etc., as a result of which the
eectiveness of their activities increases.
292
Pavlo Harasym, Oleksii Humin, Roman Shai, Svitlana Soroka y Anna Bondarchuk
Legislative perspectives of ensuring public control over the observance of the rights of convicts
in Ukraine
However, like any other control over the activities of state authorities,
public control in the eld of rights enforcement by justice bodies has
certain problems in its organization and functioning, which should be paid
attention to. In particular, as statistics show, in the process of criminal
enforcement activities, there are cases of suicides among convicts, their
self-mutilation, injuries, etc., annually, one of the conditions of which is
formal, and in some cases, no public control over the sphere of execution of
punishments in Ukraine (Batyrgareeva & Babenko, 2020, p. 164 183).
The activities of subjects of public control in the eld of execution of
punishments and probation of Ukraine were constantly subjected to
justied criticism by scientists, practitioners and the public. One of the
main topics of discussion in this regard is the state of eectiveness of
observation commissions, which is quite low and such that it does not
ensure proper social monitoring (constant control over the observance of
the rights of convicts while serving a criminal sentence (Part 2 of Article
25 of the Criminal Executive Code (hereinafter – CEC of Ukraine) for this
branch of public relations (Criminal and executive code of ukraine. Law of
ukraine, 2004; Eroshenko, 2012, p. 383).
Taking into account the situation that has developed around the activities
of the specied participants in criminal and executive legal relations,
including issues of public control, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine in
2022 adopted Resolution No. 1314 «On amendments to the regulations
on supervisory commissions» (On amendments to the regulations on
supervisory commissions. resolution of the cabinet of ministers of ukraine,
2022), which causes a lot of comments among scientists and practitioners.
Of scientic and practical interest are questions related to the content
of the concept of «public control in the eld of execution of punishments»,
which has not been nally formulated at the legal and scientic level, and
clear legal principles of public control over the observance of the rights and
legitimate interests of convicts in the eld of execution of punishments have
not been developed , which, along with insucient preventive activities and
the level of public participation in the mentioned process, actualized the
choice of the topic of the scientic article.
1. Methodology of the study
The research used works on the problems of criminology, penitentiary,
administrative law and process. The methodological basis of the article is
the provisions and conclusions of the general theory of cognition. Taking
into account the complex approach to conducting research, the following
general philosophical and special methods were used. In particular, the
dialectical method was used in the study of the essence and content of such
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CUESTIONES POLÍTICAS
Vol. 41 Nº 79 (2023): 290-300
concepts as «state control» and «public control» over the observance of the
rights of convicts in the sphere of execution of punishments and probation.
With the help of the historical method, the formation of scientic
opinion regarding the essence of public control over the activities of the
bodies of execution of punishments has been claried. The formal-logical
method was used during the scientic elaboration of normative legal acts,
as well as for the interpretation of the control function of the public on
the legality of the rights of convicts. The use of statistical methods made
it possible to form a general and objective view of the state of legislative
regulation of ensuring public control over the observance of the rights of
convicts in Ukraine. Such methods as systemic, sociological, comparative-
legal, statistical, system-structural analysis are also applied.
2. Analysis of recent research
The analysis of the scientic literature proved that many criminologists
are engaged in the development of problems of increasing the level of public
control over the process of execution of punishments (Garashchuk, 2002,
p. 253; Zakharov, 2009; Tereschuk, 2018; Kolb et al., 2020; Batyrgareeva
& Babenko, 2020, pp. 164183) and others.
However, at the doctrinal and legislative level, the issues of state
and public control over the observance of the rights of convicts remain
undistinguished, and some areas of activity of subjects of public control
in the eld of execution of punishments require substantial renement.
The specied circumstances determine the expediency of a scientic
analysis of the specied activity, the development of scientically based
proposals aimed at eliminating certain shortcomings and developing ways
to overcome them.
3. Results and discussion
Currently, there is no established understanding of the term «public
control» in scientic sources. In particular, V. Garashchuk refers to
control as inspection, as well as observation for the purpose of inspection
to counteract something undesirable, to detect, prevent, and stop illegal
behavior on the part of anyone (Garashchuk, 2002, p. 253). E. Zakharov,
public control is understood as public verication by civil society of the
state’s activities for compliance with its declared goals, adjustment of these
activities and the goals themselves, subordination of state policy, activities
of its bodies and ocials to the interests of society, as well as civil society’s
supervision of the activities of state bodies and authorities of local self-
294
Pavlo Harasym, Oleksii Humin, Roman Shai, Svitlana Soroka y Anna Bondarchuk
Legislative perspectives of ensuring public control over the observance of the rights of convicts
in Ukraine
government, aimed at protecting and ensuring human rights and legitimate
interests and fundamental freedoms and respect for them (Zakharov,
2009).
In our opinion, public control over the observance of the rights of
convicts in the eld of execution of punishments and probation is the
activity of public associations regulated at the legislative level, aimed at
checking the observance of the rights and legitimate interests of subjects of
criminal-enforcement legal relations in the process of execution / serving
of punishments. as well as guarantees of their implementation, and
in connection with this, taking appropriate comprehensive actions to
eliminate and counteract the determinants that cause the commission of
illegal encroachments on the specied objects of legal protection.
The subject of public control over the process of execution and serving
of punishments should be understood as a set of procedural requirements
that are put forward to the actions of the administration of institutions for
the execution of punishments and probation bodies (serving sentences in
places of deprivation of liberty; applying disciplinary sanctions to convicted
persons; providing assistance in the event of release from punishment or
serving it, etc.). In this regard, the rights of convicts are dened in Art.
8 of the CEC of Ukraine (Criminal and executive code of ukraine. Law of
Ukraine, 2004), and the personnel of penal institutions - in Art. 18 of the
Law of Ukraine «On the State Criminal-Executive Service of Ukraine» (On
the state criminal-executive service of ukraine. Law of Ukraine, 2005).
The content of the Central Committee of Ukraine certies that it does
not include proper legal mechanisms for ensuring the rights of the public
on these issues. They are not dened in special laws that regulate the
activities of public associations, in particular, in the Law of Ukraine «On
Public Associations».
Enshrined in Part 2 of Art. 25 of the CEC of Ukraine, the legal principles
of public control over the process of execution / serving of punishments
are essentially reduced to the activities of the guardianship councils
at educational colonies (Criminal and executive code of Ukraine. Law
of ukraine, 2004). This kind of control over the sphere of execution of
punishments cannot be called eective. An additional evaluative argument
in this regard is the prescriptions of Part 2 of Art. 25 of the CEC of Ukraine,
according to which, in the cases established by this Code and the laws of
Ukraine, public control over the observance of the rights of convicts during
the execution of criminal sentences can be carried out by public associations
(Criminal and executive code of Ukraine. Law of Ukraine, 2004).
In the draft of the Law of Ukraine «On the penitentiary system: the draft
Law of Ukraine, 2021», only one legal norm is devoted to this problem – Part
1 of Art. 65, which states that public control over the functioning of bodies
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CUESTIONES POLÍTICAS
Vol. 41 Nº 79 (2023): 290-300
and institutions of the penitentiary system is carried out in accordance with
the CEC of Ukraine.
In the 2017 Concept of Reform (Development) of the Penitentiary System
of Ukraine, among the main tasks of the reform, which are enshrined in the
specied state program, there is also no reference to the need to change
public control over the observance of the rights and legitimate interests of
a person in the eld of execution of punishments. We can talk about this
problem only in general terms in the context of such a task, which was
reected in Chapter I «General Provisions» of the Concept, namely, one of
the main tasks of the reform is the development of legislation in the eld
of operation of pretrial detention centers and institutions for the execution
of punishments in accordance with the legislation of the European of the
Union However, given the content of the draft Law of Ukraine «On the
Penitentiary System», it is premature to talk about it.
It is worth noting th