The Jury System in Russia

The prestige of common law models increased in Russiaafter the demise of socialist law and trial by jurybecame one of many borrowings in post-socialistRussia. This book examines the perceptions andattitudes of judges, procurators, and defenseattorneys concerning the use of the jury system inRussia. The results demonstrate overall lawyers'support for the jury system. At the same time, thebook demonstrates that the law is politics and it isnot neutral or value-free. The Kremlin and thepowerful use the law as an instrument formanipulation in order to prevent the acquittal ofanyone who has been charged. The result seems to bethat the jury system simply lies dormant, not doingany obvious harm but not performing the function forwhich it was intended. The juxtaposition suggests twoRussias: a largely invisible one that is slowlyadjusting to its Western transplant and a highlyvisible, anti-Western Russia that continues thecountry's tradition of autocratic rule. The bookserves a broad audience of social scientists infields of criminal justice, sociology, politicalscience, and comparative jurisprudence.

Autorentext

Yury V. Cheryachukin is an Assistant Professor at California State University, Stanislaus. Previous positions include professorships at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York, and Volgograd Higher Police Academy, Russia. Yury Cheryachukin received his Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from The City University of New York.

Klappentext
The prestige of common law models increased in Russia after the demise of socialist law and trial by jury became one of many borrowings in post-socialist Russia. This book examines the perceptions and attitudes of judges, procurators, and defense attorneys concerning the use of the jury system in Russia. The results demonstrate overall lawyers' support for the jury system. At the same time, the book demonstrates that the law is politics and it is not neutral or value-free. The Kremlin and the powerful use the law as an instrument for manipulation in order to prevent the acquittal of anyone who has been charged. The result seems to be that the jury system simply lies dormant, not doing any obvious harm but not performing the function for which it was intended. The juxtaposition suggests two Russias: a largely invisible one that is slowly adjusting to its Western transplant and a highly visible, anti-Western Russia that continues the country's tradition of autocratic rule. The book serves a broad audience of social scientists in fields of criminal justice, sociology, political science, and comparative jurisprudence.