Appointment of the Head of the Department
On 20 August 2009, the presentation of the Head of the State Department of Ukraine for the Execution of Sentences took place on the Department's premises. Acting Minister of Justice Yevhen Korniychuk, Head of the Administration for Interaction with the State Department of Ukraine for the Execution of Sentences of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine Petro Kocherhan, Deputy Head of the Administration for the Activities of Justice Bodies and Law Enforcement Agencies of the Cabinet of Ministers Secretariat of Ukraine Tetiana Viktorova, First Deputy Head of the Department Mykola Iltyai, Deputy Heads Anatoliy Olentsevych, Anatoliy Vysochanskyi, Nataliia Kalashnyk, the command staff, and employees of the Department took part.
The meeting was opened by Acting Minister of Justice Yevhen Korniychuk, who officially introduced the Head of the State Department of Ukraine for the Execution of Sentences, Major-General of the Internal Service Oleksandr Halinskyi. He emphasised that the Government had made a correct decision regarding the appointment of a head of the Penal Service—a person who had gone through all the stages of this service. Oleksandr Iulianovych's most recent position was Head of the Department's Administration in the Odesa region. Yevhen Korniychuk warmly congratulated Oleksandr Halinskyi on his appointment to the high position and expressed hope that under the new leader, the State Penitentiary Service would undergo substantial changes for the better.
The newly appointed Head of the State Department of Ukraine for the Execution of Sentences, Oleksandr Halinskyi, addressed those present. In particular, he thanked the Government for their high trust, stating that he would take into account the best experience of his predecessors, noting with kind words the first Head of the Department, Ivan Shtanko, who is currently the Chairman of the Public Council under the Department, the late Volodymyr Lovochkin, and Vasyl Koshchynets, who recently held this position. All of them had made a significant contribution to the improvement, reform, and humanisation of the Penal Service. In his work, Oleksandr Halinskyi said, he would more widely involve the public and representatives of state and non-state structures for partnership, and would always act promptly and decisively in resolving all issues. The Head of the Department intends to speak openly about the problems of the service. Objectivity and integrity must be present in the work of the penitentiary sphere, he believes. Oleksandr Halinskyi's plans include pressing issues: the social protection of the employees of the State Penitentiary Service, the increase of their salaries, and relaxation. After all, employees in penal institutions serve in difficult psychological conditions and in a certain degree of danger.
An important issue is the absence of a departmental higher educational institution, which has long required a solution.
Immediately after the appointment, a press conference was held by the Head of the State Department of Ukraine for the Execution of Sentences, Major-General of the Internal Service Oleksandr Halinskyi, for representatives of the mass media and the public. Oleksandr Halinskyi gave comprehensive answers to all journalists' questions. Also communicating with media representatives at the press conference were Deputy Head of the Administration for the Activities of Justice Bodies and Law Enforcement Agencies of the Cabinet of Ministers Secretariat of Ukraine Tetiana Viktorova, Chairman of the Public Council under the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine Oleksandr Betsa, and Chairman of the Public Council under the Department's administration in the Odesa region, scientist Nina Nizova.
