| Russian judges told each other about their difficult lot From Tuesday to Friday of last week, a visiting meeting of the Council of Judges of Russia was held in St. Petersburg. Over four days, the servants of Themis not only considered the economic issues of the work of the courts, but also analyzed the first results of the legal reform. The judges' discussion revolved around two main problems: resolving financial and economic issues of the courts and sharing experience in working in the context of justice reform. It turned out that although the state has improved the material and technical base of the Russian Themis in recent years, working in the judicial system is still not easy. Either in one region the telephone will be turned off, or in another the building is about to collapse. Not to mention computers, modern furniture and access to ever-changing legal information. In capitals and large cities there is money for all this, but in regional centers there is not. Another important problem is that in many cities, especially small ones, trials are held in buildings from which the escape of the defendants in custody is quite likely. Due to changes in criminal procedural practice, the workload on the courts has increased sharply. Because of this, the time frame for considering cases increases, which automatically entails the need to extend the detention of persons under investigation. Ultimately, it all comes down to money, which is not in the budget.
Nevertheless, the Chairman of the Supreme Court of Russia, Vyacheslav Lebedev, as well as other representatives of the “judicial authorities” recommended that ordinary servants of justice not be afraid of legal innovations. He, like many other judges, advocates the expansion of jury trials. The judges believe that a jury trial will have a positive impact not only on the servants of Themis, but also on their potential clients, since a jury trial usually produces more acquittals than a regular court. Victor MATVEEV, St. Petersburg |
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