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.