THE CURRENT STATE OF THE PENAL SYSTEM FUNCTIONING
In modern conditions, the penal system of Russia is going through a difficult process of reform, the prerequisites and the course of which are set by two strategic, conceptuallyreflected target achievements: 1) humanization of the penal system in the parameters of constitutional norms, taking into account international standards and democratization of the Russian society and the state; 2) increasing the efficiency of the penal system in the context of its social and special functions. On the one hand, the democratization of the state and society is changing the content of the functions, specific tasks, forms and methods of work of law enforcement agencies, including the penal system and its constituent bodies and institutions. In general, in the modern dynamically developing system of legal relations and values, the law enforcement service is no longer regarded as a power institution with unlimited repressive potential. On the contrary, it is the guarantor of the social and psychological comfort of citizens, as the meaning of law enforcement activity is to help a person to restore the violated right, including situations where it is violated by the state itself, by all permissible forces and means. On the other hand, there are new forms and sources of threats to personal, public and state security, including in connection with the functioning and development of the penal system. With the help of comparative and legal, structural and functional, regulatory and logical methods, and the method of interpretation of legal norms the article considers the current state of the penal system, identifies some starting points to understand the basics of its organization and functioning. In the course of studying and summarizing the special literature, the problems in this area are identified and the recommendations, aimed at improving the regulatory legal framework and practice, are proposed. The conclusions on the modernization of the penal system can be essential to ensure its safety in modern conditions of functioning.