WOMEN'S PRISON AND POST-PENITENTIARY PHILANTHROPY IN THE ХІХth - EARLY ХХth CENTURY

The article analyzes the activities of famous women who are considered to be ancestors of the prison and postpenitentiary charity. With biographical, historical and comparative, problem-chronological and other methods the activities of S.Martin, E.Fray, M.Booth are shown. It was found that those women were trying to facilitate and to improve the conditions of prisoners, many of which were women and children. The philanthropists attempted to give prisoners the elements of education, to improve their morality, to organize the occupation among prisoners. S.Martin taught the prisoners to read and write, gave them religious instructions. She found employment for the men, women and boys of the Yarmouth gaol. S.Martin realized the need of helping to released from prisons to prevent recidivism. E. Fry focused on helping female prisoners and children. She was also among noble men, who fought for the abolition of the death penalty, or reducing the severity of the punishment. E.Fry visited penitentiaries in many towns in England, Ireland, Scotland. In each town E.Fry tried to form Committees of helping the prisoners, consisting mainly of women. She attended the French, Belgian, German and other penitentiaries. She also helped prisoners who had another religion or were imprisoned on matters connected with religion. M.Booth was firstly a leader of the Salvation Army in America, but then she withdrew from its ranks to devote herself to the prison activity. Her meeting with prisoners in Sing-Sing prison was a step to the emergence of Prison Volunteer League. Among the members of the League there were many prisoners who had to observe guidelines of the special Day Book. League's members had their slogan and certificates of membership. Volunteers' Gazette was the official organ of the movement. The prisoners called Maud Booth a little mother and she called them «my boys». Those women also realized the need of helping those who were out of prisons. People who lived in the «hope homes», learned housekeeping, cooking and were engaged in other activities that contributed to their successful rehabilitation and to prevention of recurrent crimes. Great achievement of these women is that they actually entered in a prison social work with such innovative methods as an art therapy, an occupational therapy, a peer-to-peer method. One of their achievements of a prison social work was the work with the families of prisoners, that allowed the offenders to preserve important social connections and to prepare the basis for a family reunion. The article can be used in teaching students the relevant disciplines, in building a theoretical and practical foundations of patronage.