  We study a model of particle acceleration coupled with an MHD model of
magnetic reconnection in unstable twisted coronal loops. The kink instability
leads to the formation of helical currents with strong parallel electric fields
resulting in electron acceleration. The motion of electrons in the electric and
magnetic fields of the reconnecting loop is investigated using a test-particle
approach taking into account collisional scattering. We discuss the effects of
Coulomb collisions and magnetic convergence near loop footpoints on the spatial
distribution and energy spectra of high-energy electron populations and
possible implications on the hard X-ray emission in solar flares.
