The Penitentiary academy of Ukraine is a higher educational institution where more than 1.000 cadets , students and correspondence students get their higher education by the state order and at the cost of private and legal people.

The history of the Academy began in 1978, when the Chernihiv School for the Improvement of the Police Officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR was founded in Chernihiv. In 1992, it was reorganized into the Chernihiv School of Internal Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. Since 2002, the educational institution received the status of Chernihiv Law College. Our HEI was granted by the status of Academy of the State Penitentiary Service in October 21, 2015 under resolution No. 1111 of the Cabinet of Ministers and the resolution of the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine of November 12, 2015. In accordance with the order of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine No. 3548/5 dated October 6, 2023, the Academy of the State Penitentiary Service was renamed into the Penitentiary Academy of Ukraine (PAU).

Modern material resources include computer rooms , the conference hall , lecture rooms , the universal and special libraries , gyms , the shooting gallery , the dining – room and the modern hostel.

Modern information technologies are widely used in all activities of the educational institution. Electronic , scientific and educational open access has been made in it. There are 9 departments with the experienced scientific teaching staff in the Academy.

All electronic educational and methodological complexes are done by the Academy lecturers and are in the local computer net. There is a modern universal library and a reading room as well as the computer information and resource centre in the Academy.

Besides traditional , interactive forms and methods are widely used with the aim of providing with high- quality education.

Much attention is paid to the use of modern information technologies in the process of education.

The considerable part of the class work is given to cadets’ and students’ practical training. Cadets and students take their practical and professional training in penal institutions of the territorial bodies of the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine , legal institutions’ , legislative bodies and enterprises. Cadets and students participate in All- Ukrainian contests of students’ scientific works on Natural sciences , Engineering and Humanities which are annually held by the Ministry of Education , Youth and Sports of Ukraine. Some cadets have been awarded with the diplomas of this Ministry.

The educational institution is the subject of the international cooperation in the field of penal policy. The Academy cooperates with the penitentiary services and educational institutions in Sweden , the Netherlands , Switzerland , Germany , Poland , Belarus ,Kazakhstan , in order to integrate into the international system of education and science , studies and implementation of the leading foreign experience of staff training who are able to use the international standards of convicts’ treatment in practice.

Over the last years scientific and teaching staff of the Academy took part in the international projects: “Monitoring groups: the effective means of public control over observing human rights in penal institutions of Ukraine (under the aegis of the international organization “International Prison Reform” (PRI); “Introduction of European standards into professional training of future officers into probation service of Ukraine” (under assistance of the international «Vidrodzhennya» fund); “Women and mothers prisoners” (together with Swiss office in Ukraine); “Public monitoring of “penal institutions” (under assistance of OSCE and “Human rights international association”- Ukrainian section); “Institutionalization of educational programmes aimed at advertising of healthy life and preventing aids in the penitentiary service of Ukraine (under aegis of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Kingdom of Netherlands;)

Experts in penitentiary problems from UNO, EC, European commission in Ukraine give lectures in the Academy.

Meetings with the outstanding people of Chernihiv region, with creative intelligentsia, sportsmen, actors, veterans, graduates, former employees are held in the Academy.

Much attention is paid to improve the cultural activity and cadets’ leisure time. There is a band , amateur groups in the Academy club. It cooperates with local art groups and theatres. Cadets and students are active participants of concerts , festivals and youth actions.

The Academy has bodies of cadets’ self- government which are organized to develop democratic grounds of the educational institution , to extend the right of the cadets’ and students’ groups in education , training , scientific and research activity , everyday life and leisure time.

Close relationship with the public is established , regional and central mass media reflect outstanding events in the Academy life.

Cadets and students go in for sports to develop physical abilities and to form spiritual ideals.

There are gyms for P.T. , for arm wresting and athletics , the shooting gallery in the Academy. There are , classes of arm wresting , free style wresting , football , volleyball , weight – lifting. Several P. T. teachers and some cadets are the winners of the World, European and Ukrainian championships . Every year the State Criminal and Executive Service of Ukraine organizes arm wrestling competitions in the Academy. Cadets have been winners of those competitions many times. Leading sportsmen and teams of the Academy participate in the competitions organized by the State Criminal and Executive Service of Ukraine , « Dynamo « sport club and other regional and local sports committees . Sportsmen of the Academy are the participants of regional competitions among the students of higher educational institutions , sports games , international competitions and tournaments .

The latest approaches of the state Penitentiary service of Ukraine to personnel policy impose new tasks such as:

• gradual and constant approach of graduates’ training level to international standards;
• indivisibility of training and education that is implemented into planning and realization of educational and training process using certain activities;
• technological and innovative aids of training that is using effective pedagogical and information technologies that lead to qualitative professional training;
• providing proper facilities for getting higher education in the Academy due to the development of its infrastructure, personnel, educational, methodic, technological and material provision of educational activities;
• realization of creative, amateur, cultural and educational, sports activities;
• providing cultural and spiritual development of the individual, patriotism and respect to the Constitution of Ukraine.