Аннотация: the Penal enforcement system has always been one of the sources of the labor force, which was very actively used in the Soviet period and is less effectively involved in social production in modern Russia. Convicts serving sentences in the colony-settlements have a unique opportunity to find employment outside the correctional institution and actually join the economic system of the region in which they serve their sentence. Such employment has a number of positive aspects. First, convicts close vacancies in low-skilled and low-paid professions in the region. Secondly, in comparison with the average salary of convicts in the penitentiary system, the wages even for such low-skilled vacancies will be much higher. Thirdly, convicts are given the opportunity to acquire work skills and adapt more quickly to release from prison.