New performance evaluation system for officers of penitentiary institutions

The Ministry of Justice has put up a legislative draft for public discussion, proposing to introduce a system for performance evaluation of officers of the Penitentiary Service (except for officers of the newly established security management subdivision within penitentiary institutions) and the right to receive additional payment based on performance evaluation. Moreover, penitentiary officers shall be subject to performance evaluation within three years following entry into force of the law and may apply for re-evaluation of performance up to twice a year. The regulations stipulated by the draft are aimed at training new personnel with appropriate professional potential for the Penitentiary Service, as well as determining the necessary level of their social security, which will help to make the penitentiary system more attractive, and this will guarantee both the filling of vacant positions and the engagement of qualified personnel.

The draft also proposes to create a new security management subdivision through combination of the external protection function and the function for ensuring security which are performed by penitentiary institutions where only citizens having passed the relevant training courses and having acquired the necessary professional skills and knowledge will be engaged. It is envisaged to initially engage new personnel in the "Armavir" Penitentiary Institution by following the example of introduction of the Patrol Service within the Police, which will be followed by ongoing reforms aimed at engaging more trained personnel in other penitentiary institutions. The objective of these reforms is to engage and retain qualified personnel in the Penitentiary Service, as well as to essentially improve the conditions for remuneration of the officers.