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NCJRS Abstract


The document referenced below is part of the NCJRS Library collection.
To conduct further searches of the collection, visit the NCJRS Abstracts Database.

How to Obtain Documents
 
NCJ Number: NCJ 100222  
Title: Myth of Popular Justice Under Communism - A Comparative View of the USSR and Poland
Journal: Justice Quarterly  Volume:2  Issue:4  Dated:(December 1985)  Pages:447-471
Author(s): M Los
Publication Date: 1985
Pages: 25
Origin: United States
Language: English
Annotation: Two 'popular justice' institutions in the Soviet Union and Poland, people's assessors and social courts (workers' courts and residential tribunals), are assessed by the standards of these countries' national ideologies and Western concepts of 'popular justice.'
Abstract: People's assessors and social courts are steps in the evolution within communist ideology recognizing the need for a gradual introduction of informal formats of conflict resolution in coordination with progress from 'socialist' to 'communist' society. Two people's assessors (lay judges) sit with one professional judge in court to hear and decide cases in concert with the judge. Social courts have three lay judges, who are elected by work crews (when mandated to judge factory disputes) and residents (when mandated to resolve neighborhood disputes). Sanctions are educational, not punitive, and may not include confinement. Although social courts are called 'workers' courts, they do not protect workers' rights, voice their values, or resolve their conflicts. They enforce the 'correct' standards of the party. People's assessors are nominated by the party and are generally dominated by the judge's influence; thus, they tend to reflect dominant party ideology in their decisions. These institutions do not reflect Western concepts of 'popular justice,' which emphasize diversity, reciprocity, and flexibility in resolving conflicts as well as independence from the dominant control ideology. 51 references.
Main Term(s): Lay judges
Index Term(s): Natl Council of Juvenile Ct Judges ; Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ; Poland
 
To cite this abstract, use the following link:
http://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=100222

* A link to the full-text document is provided whenever possible. For documents not available online, a link to the publisher's web site is provided.


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