Vyatsheslav I. Seliverstov

In the penitentiary systems of states, scientific information about the personality of convicts is important. International standards specifically emphasize the need to obtain reliable data on the trends and characteristics of the prison population. Conducted in December 2022, the Ninth Special Census aims to replenish the available statistical data on the identity of convicts serving sentences of imprisonment and forced labor, as well as persons detained in pre-trial detention centers in Russia. The need to conduct a special census was based not only on the modern needs of improving penal policy, but also on the basis of respect for historical traditions. The practice of conducting special censuses was typical for the period of the existence of the USSR, and it continued in modern Russia. 

The article examines the genesis, development and current state of the practice of conducting special censuses of convicts, and reveals the historical, organizational and methodological features of their conduct. Emphasis is placed on the personality of scientists who made a significant contribution to the origin and development of this method of studying the personality of the offender. The general features and features of the Ninth Special Census of convicts and persons in custody are analyzed, and their theoretical justification is given. The parameters of the census and the forms of its implementation are also disclosed.