Post-Soviet criminal justice: The persistence of distorted neo-inquisitorialism

Abstract

This article investigates the extent to which post-Soviet states have successfully reformed the system of criminal justice that they inherited from the USSR, and in particular reduced accusatorial bias and achieved procedural fairness. I argue that with the notable exception of Estonia, these countries have not eliminated the defining features of the Soviet criminal justice, what I call ‘distorted neo-inquisitorialism’—namely the excessive power of investigators and weakness of judges. The article examines in detail the reform of criminal justice in Russia, Estonia and Ukraine from 1992 to the present.

Identifiers

DOI

10.1177/1362480614568746

Citations and references