The article deals with the organization, peculiarities and main methods of spiritual and moral education of prisoners in penitentiary institutions of Saratov province in the middle of the 19th century. The subject of the study is the processes of organization of spiritual and moral influence and literacy training of prisoners. The methodological basis of the article was formed by the principles of objectivity, historicism, philosophical and general scientific methods. The aim of the research is to study the educational process in relation to the persons serving a sentence of imprisonment at its initial stage. As a result of the conducted work the period of formation and legislative fixation of the pro-process of education and spiritual and moral education of prisoners, and also the problems arising at realization of the specified processes are considered. It is concluded that the spiritual and moral correction of prisoners was mainly achieved through literacy and writing. The author also draws attention to the fact that the prisoners were given various kinds of talks about the sacraments of the Church, secular and fiction literature, which was also important for their spiritual and moral correction. The author draws attention to the fact that the positive dynamics of the correctional process was in direct dependence on the level of financing of prisons and the availability of necessary facilities for all correctional work.

The article deals with the organization, peculiarities and main methods of spiritual and moral education of prisoners in penitentiary institutions of Saratov province in the middle of the 19th century. The subject of the study is the processes of organization of spiritual and moral influence and literacy training of prisoners. The methodological basis of the article was formed by the principles of objectivity, historicism, philosophical and general scientific methods. The aim of the research is to study the educational process in relation to the persons serving a sentence of imprisonment at its initial stage. As a result of the conducted work the period of formation and legislative fixation of the pro-process of education and spiritual and moral education of prisoners, and also the problems arising at realization of the specified processes are considered. It is concluded that the spiritual and moral correction of prisoners was mainly achieved through literacy and writing. The author also draws attention to the fact that the prisoners were given various kinds of talks about the sacraments of the Church, secular and fiction literature, which was also important for their spiritual and moral correction. The author draws attention to the fact that the positive dynamics of the correctional process was in direct dependence on the level of financing of prisons and the availability of necessary facilities for all correctional work.