NCJ Number
132403
Journal
Judges' Journal Volume: 29 Issue: 3 Dated: (Summer 1990) Pages: 14-19,48
Date Published
1990
Length
7 pages
Annotation
The movement by the Soviet Union toward glasnost and perestroika has had an inevitable impact on crime and punishment in that country, or at least upon the society's attitudes toward crime and punishment.
Abstract
Samizdat, or underground, literature, is making its way into officially sanctioned Soviet publications. As a result, Soviet citizens are becoming aware of the secrecy and corruption that characterize the Soviet legal system. Glasnost, as exemplified by the progress made by Soviet journalists, leaders, and citizens, is the most essential component in the reform of criminal law. Many Soviet magazines and newspapers regularly publish articles on pending legislation, accounts of past and present government abuses, stories of individual crime, and crime statistics. However, this author argues that the Soviet press needs to focus more attention upon the specific legal areas that need reform. Among these are the rights of defendants and convicted persons, the primacy of a constitution, and legal concepts including the presumption of innocence and proof beyond a reasonable doubt.