The main attention in the presented work is paid to the problem of identifying the causes of corrupt behavior and anti-corruption measures. The authors have identified groups of causes of corrupt behavior. Special attention is paid to the role of empathy in involvement in corruption crimes. Based on the theoretical analysis carried out, the authors note the insufficiency of studying the psychological, in particular the emotional, component of the formation of corrupt behavior. On the example of the specific professional activity of prison system employees interacting with persons convicted of various crimes, the presence of a contradiction is demonstrated, consisting, on the one hand, in the need for a correctional officer to have the ability to sympathize and empathize with convicts, and on the other — to counteract manipulative influences focused on the emotional sphere of the individual. The necessity of taking into account the role of empathy in the formation of an anti-corruption standard of behavior of employees of the penitentiary system is substantiated.