Introduction

This book combines a history of Russian criminal justice in the era of Reform with an analysis of theories of crime and punishment formulated in anticipation of a more humane penal system. While the history of Alexander II’s judicial reform, which tentatively introduced trial by jury, is generally well documented, less well known is the body of theoretical work written by juridical thinkers and practitioners of law exploring the causes of crime and the social role of punishment. Albeit remote from the day-to-day dealings in the courtroom or the harsh realities of the penitentiary as brilliantly evoked in the novels of Dostoevsky, findings intended for intellectual debate within the profession or for instructional purposes in the classroom present a useful tool for reconstructing the development of Russian legal thought. More broadly, they afford insight into some of the key issues of Russian intellectual culture during the twilight years of tsarist rule.