Here we publish an article and a response to the article concerning the painful problem of what language should be used in Ukraine. The both articles are a little abridged, mainly in the most emotional places or to avoid repetitions.

In November 1998 the international seminar ‘Prison reform in post-totalitarian countries’ was held in Donetsk. Ukrainian participants of this seminar discussed the new Penal-Executive Code. Below we shall render opposite opinions of two specialists on the goals of incarceration.