A Sociology of Justice in Russia

Offers a more complex and nuanced understanding of the Russian justice system than stereotypes and preconceptions lead us to believe.

Marina Kurkchiyan (Edited by), Agnieszka Kubal (Edited by)

9781316648285, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 2 January 2020

309 pages, 14 b/w illus. 8 tables
23 x 15 x 1.7 cm, 0.45 kg

'In conclusion, this excellent collection demonstrates … that adherence to the 'Western rule of law yardstick' seems to offer the best route to improving justice systems not only in the West, but also in Russia.' Simon Cosgrove, Europe-Asia Studies

Much of the media coverage and academic literature on Russia suggests that the justice system is unreliable, ineffective and corrupt. But what if we look beyond the stereotypes and preconceptions? This volume features contributions from a number of scholars who studied Russia empirically and in-depth, through extensive field research, observations in courts, and interviews with judges and other legal professionals as well as lay actors. A number of tensions in the everyday experiences of justice in Russia are identified and the concept of the 'administerial model of justice' is introduced to illuminate some of the less obvious layers of Russian legal tradition including: file-driven procedure, extreme legal formalism combined with informality of the pre-trial proceedings, followed by ritualistic format of the trial. The underlying argument is that Russian justice is a much more complex system than is commonly supposed, and that it both requires and deserves a more nuanced understanding.

1. An introduction to the sociology of justice in Russia Marina Kurkchiyan and Agnieszka Kubal
2. The professionalisation of law in the context of the Russian legal tradition Marina Kurkchiyan
3. To go to court or not? The evolution of disputes in Russia Kathryn Hendley
4. The everyday experiences of Russian citizens in Justice of the Peace Courts Varvara Andrianova
5. In search of justice: migrants' experiences of appeal in the Moscow City Court Agnieszka Kubal
6. When business goes to Court: Arbitrazh Courts in Russia Timur Bocharov and Kirill Titaev
7. Journalists, judges and state officials: how Russian courts adjudicate defamation lawsuits against the media Maria Popova
8. Accusatorial bias in Russian criminal justice Peter H. Solomon, Jr
9. Decision-making in the Russian criminal justice system: investigators, procurators, judges and human trafficking cases Lauren McCarthy
10. The Richelieu effect: the Khodorkovsky case and political interference with justice Jeffrey Kahn
11. Administerial justice: concluding remarks on the Russian legal tradition Marina Kurkchiyan and Agnieszka Kubal.

Subject Areas: International law [LB], Law & society [LAQ], Comparative law [LAM], Jurisprudence & general issues [LA], Law [L], Political science & theory [JPA], History of ideas [JFCX]