Modern issues of Russian jury trial: Procedural and social aspects

Abstract

The article addresses current problems of the jury trial in the Russian Federation as well as analyzes its procedural and social aspects. Specifically, the paper focuses on the issues of the jurors’ integrity, the interaction of the jury division with a judge, and the public opinion influence on the jurors’ verdicts. The scientific research is motivated by a significant incongruity between high expectations regarding jury trial efficiency and its actual conducting practice. The study concludes with a need for a reformation of the jury court system to increase its actual performance and strengthen the Russians’ trust in the aforementioned institution. The authors apply the following theoretical and empirical methods: analysis of scientific perspectives on the essence and complications of criminal proceedings involving jurors, statistical comparison of justice administration by jury trials, surveys, observations, and others.