ABSTRACT
The procuracy stands at the heart of the debate surrounding legal reform in post-Soviet Russia. As the Gorbachev-era legal reforms unfolded, the procuracy became a focal point of reformist criticism. With the collapse of the USSR, the outlawing ofthe CPSU, the dismantling of Gosplan, and the reorganization of the KGB, the major coercive bureaucracies of the former Soviet state were disarmed or destroyed-all except the procuracy. The procuracy managed to survive and continues to play a central, if not predominant, role in the Russian legal system today. This chapter analyzes the late and post-Soviet debate over the procuracy, the reasons behind the liberal attack on it, how the onslaught of criticism escalated, and how the procuracy dealt with it. The chapter concludes with some observations on the likely course of developments affecting the procuracy in the immediate future and suggests ways in which its mission could be redefined to satisfy the needs of law enforcement, while still placating liberal reformers.
