The article analyzes in detail the issues of the formation and development of the penitentiary legislation of the Russian Empire during the Great Reforms of Alexander II. The author notes that changes in the field of execution of punishments were an integral part of the changes that took place in the country, had their historical substantiation and should be considered in the general context of liberal changes of the second half of the XIX century. The formation of new economic relations, changes in the social structure of society, the emergence of new political practices made it necessary to liberalize the penitentiary sphere. New legal theories associated with understanding the purposes, purpose and execution of punishments, became the basis for the transformation in European countries, including the Russian Empire. The main form of punishment is imprisonment, which was the result of changing the purpose of punishment. It is the correction of the person who committed the crime, through work, education and upbringing. The article analyzes the practice of preparing normative and legal acts related to the study of foreign experience, the organization of experimental places of detention, the discussion of the provisions of the draft of the Regulations on Correctional Prisons in the Russian Empire in various commissions. The prepared draft law, in spite of certain shortcomings, was progressive and corresponded to the tasks that faced the system of execution of punishment. Thus, the article concludes that the ongoing reforms were progressive, an assessment was made on the issues of discussion. When writing a scientific work the author used the materials of the State Archives of the Russian Federation, as well as scientific literature of both domestic and foreign authors.