In this article, we analyze the regulation of the special status of the civil servant in the penitentiary system in relation to the dynamics of recruitment, training, evaluation, and research of the human resource in the detention units in Romania between 2009-2021. With the help of the case study analysis and the empirical research carried out in 22 penitentiaries, on which occasion we interacted and interviewed a number of 74 penitentiary police officers (directors, surveillance officers,

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... ators, psychologists, priests), we identified the representations of the prison police officers regarding the life in the detention units. This research highlights the staff shortages and the low level of training, evaluation, and research of civil servants with special status, an aspect that indicates a strong tendency to preserve roles and statuses in the penitentiary system. The prison management remains anchored in the objectives of reducing overcrowding and improving working conditions and deprivation of liberty, while the objective of mode