LEGAL AND TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF THE DRAFT STANDARD «PENITENTIARY ACTIVITIES TERMINOLOGY» AS AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES

Abstract

This article examines the conceptual, terminological, legal-technical, and editorial features of the draft standard «Terminology of Penitentiary Activities». It analyzes the content of terminological definitions, the principles for selecting specialized vocabulary, and the compliance of the draft’s provisions with the requirements of current legislation and modern terminology, since the unification of the conceptual framework is a necessary condition for the development of penitentiary science, the improvement of law enforcement practices, and regulatory standardization in the field of criminal punishment enforcement. The main conceptual shortcomings of the draft have been identified, relating to the definition of the standard’s scope, the systematization of terms, and the relationship between penitentiary, criminal enforcement, and probation terminology. Attention is focused on inaccuracies in certain definitions, the inconsistency of a number of terms with legislative provisions, the use of evaluative characteristics in definitions, as well as inconsistencies in the editorial formatting of the terminological articles. The most controversial concepts are characterized, in particular, «convicted person», «inmate», «probation client», «penitentiary system», «penitentiary», «penitentiary science», and «penitentiary institution». It has been established that some definitions duplicate legislative provisions, contain overly broad or narrow formulations, do not comply with the rules for constructing terminological definitions, and require clarification. It has been determined that improvements to the draft standard should be based on a clear definition of the criteria for selecting terms, the standardization of the structure of definitions, the elimination of evaluative elements, and ensuring consistency with current legislation. The main directions for refining the terminological standard and its significance for the development of penitentiary science, lawmaking, and ensuring the uniform application of specialized penitentiary terminology are outlined.