The Supreme Court has proposed to reduce the number of jurors to seven – RBC

The Supreme Court has proposed to reduce the number of jurors to seven – RBC

Photo: Yekaterina Kuzmina / RBC

According to Davydov, the Supreme Court together with other agencies before March 30, shall prepare and submit to the President proposals for reforming the country’s jury trial.

He said that currently there are two main proposals on how to should be done with a jury. Or save an existing model and extend its jurisdiction (The exception was the return). Or to reform this institution: to reduce the number of jurors and assessors also allow to resolve issues of law. Now the jury in its verdict establishes only questions of fact – whether the crime was committed and whether the defendant is guilty.

Davydov said that the number of jurors can be reduced from 12 to 7 people in regional and provincial courts. And in the district courts to enter the jury of 5 people who could be considered particularly complex cases, together with the judges. Priemlemymy may be, according to the judge, even the compositions of the two people who would help judges make decisions. Moreover, jurisdiction could be cases of domestic murder or robbery.

He was supported by Judge Alexander Dzyban sun. He insisted that the courts are now hard to form a jury, because people are not active in the assessors. Thus, in the 90s of the last century the courts sent 200-300 calls for a set of the jury, but now it is sometimes not enough to send by 1.5-2 thousand. Calls to form a composition.

To Moreover, the jury is very expensive tool, and reduced board will cost less stressed Dzyban. According to the speaker, is also important would be to allow the jury to make a decision in chambers with the presiding judge.

In turn, the presidential adviser and former chairman of the Supreme Arbitration Court Veniamin Yakovlev called for the return of people’s assessors. He noted that such an institution operates in Germany, where judges are helping to make a decision by professionals in the field in which there is a dispute.

Against the radical reform of the jury acted as judge of the Constitutional Court retired Tamara Morschakova. “I have a feeling that we’re all gathered to slightly bury the jury,” – said Morschakova. In her view, the reform of certain jury trials is necessary, but it must relate to procedural aspects, and not to change its structure as a whole.