Olga Semukhina

Russian citizens' perceptions of corruption and trust of the police

Since 1991, Russian citizens perception of the police has been consistently overwhelmingly negative. Both direct and vicarious citizen experiences with the police were examined to identify potential factors that may explain the pervasive and persistent negative perceptions. An original survey of citizens (N=509) was analysed with structural equation modelling techniques to determine how various forms of corruption (including bribery, unfair treatment and abuse of power), and social class standing influenced perceptions. Experiences with corruption had significant negative correlations with police trust. Trust was found to be independent of social class position. Bribery and abuse of power had significant co-variations with unfair treatment. Citizens actively avoid any police contact; therefore, their perceptions appear to be predominately influenced by a lack of institutional trust. The findings are consistent with the extant research.

Unreported crimes, public dissatisfaction of police, and observed police misconduct in the Volgograd region, Russia: A research note

The paper examines the issue of widespread underreporting of crimes in the Volgograd region of Russia. The factors of public satisfaction with police, prior observed police misconduct, type of crime, and victim’s demographics are used to explain a victim’s decision to report crimes to the police. The research is based on a representative sample of Russian citizens conducted over a 9 year period in the Volgograd region (1998–2007) with a sample size of 1332 cases. The study concludes that prior observed police misconduct, especially the falsification of documents, is the strongest predictor of victims’ decisions to report crimes. The research holds critical implications for the ongoing reform of Russian police.

Public contacts with Russian police in life-threatening situations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine key factors responsible for unwillingness of Russian respondents to contact police in life-threatening situations. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a survey data (n=5,088) collected during 1998-2007 in Volgograd, Russia. The multivariate regression is employed for data analysis. Findings – Findings of this study suggest that pervasive public distrust and dissatisfaction of police institution coupled with fear of police abuse and negative previous experiences with crime reporting are responsible for citizens’ unwillingness to contact Russian police. Research limitations/implications – The findings imply that both instrumental and normative approaches to the police legitimacy are useful when explaining the issues of public-police cooperation in Russia. Practical implications – Paper also has practical implications pertinent to the 2011 police reform in Russia. Originality/value – The study also provides an original empirical research in pr...

Public assistance of police during criminal investigations: Russian experience

This study examines the high levels of public unwillingness to assist police in criminal investigations in Russia. Variables of public trust of police, fear of crime, victimization, and prior contact with police are used to explain this phenomenon. Also included in the study are variables of police fear and avoidance of police. The findings suggest that higher levels of distrust in, as well as fear and avoidance of police are strong predictors of citizens’ unwillingness to assist police in Russia. The paper discusses potential implications of these findings for the 2011 police reform in Russia.

The Restriction of Judicial Investigative Remand in Russia: The Role of Cultural Values in Citizen Acceptance and Perceived Fairness

In 2001, the Russian Criminal Procedure Code was substantially reformed and replaced the 1960 Criminal Procedure Code of the RSFSR. One major reform element was a revocation of the trial judges authority to remand a case for additional investigation, which had been allowed by the Soviet criminal procedural code. Our study examined citizen support for limiting the judges remand authority. A self‐report survey was administered to a representative sample of the Russian Federation (N=1,640) during the summer of 2006. Structural‐ equation modeling was used to analyze the results. Two research hypotheses were evaluated: 1) citizens with a collectively‐oriented value system would reject the reform as unfair, and 2) those with individualistically‐oriented values would perceive it as fair; both were validated. More than one‐half of respondents (62.3%) reported the reform as unfair. Collective social values still prevail in Russian society and influence citizen support for the adoption of adversarial criminal procedural reforms. However, we also found individualistic values are increasing in younger age groups and among males.

Plea Bargaining Implementation and Acceptance in Modern Russia: A Disconnect Between the Legal Institutions and the Citizens

This study examines the scope, results, citizen attitudes, and practices of consensual justice reform in Russia. The Russian Federation adopted a new Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) in December of 2001, which included a procedure closely resembling plea bargaining and termed ‘‘special court order proceedings.’’ The 2001 CPC reforms were intended to move further away from the accusatorial legacy of the Soviet judicial system and closer to a western adversarial model. Criminal cases (N = 316) over a 4-year period (2004—2007) from one district and one regional courts were examined to determine the application and judicial practices associated with plea bargaining. A national representative citizen survey (N = 1,588) was conducted to measure attitudes related to plea bargaining knowledge and acceptance. The study found that 6 years after the introduction of the special court order proceeding, over one third of cases were settled through the special court order proceedings. The use of the special court order proceeding has grown steadily during the period from 2004 to 2008. The majority of citizens reported the special court order proceeding was unfair and less than 20% perceived the reform as fair. Few citizens were knowledgeable about the plea bargaining reform. The introduction of the special court order proceeding has been moderately successful in the judicial system; however, there are systemic hindrances to increased use and citizen acceptance.