The paper is based on the outcome of the research of the current situation of the prison education in Russia and the transformations it has experienced after the collapse of the USSR. The main focus of the research was to investigate whether the education programs offered to prisoners in Russia contribute to the increase of their professional knowledge at 2,3 and 4 ISCED levels and to their further inclusion into the society. The major objectives of the research were as follows: • to define the range of formal education programs available for prisoners and level of their availability; • to find out whether the offered programs are aimed at successful inclusion into the social life upon release and correspond with the demands of the labor market; • to identify the contribution of the education programs to increase of prisoners’ literacy skills and educational level in general; • to place our findings into the broader sociocultural context by comparing Russia with other post-soviet countries that participated in the research project (Estonia, Lithuania, Bulgaria). Research shows that the system of prison education in Russia is largely influenced by the Soviet system, but is currently transforming to meet the demands of labor market.