The Stages of Formation of the Institution of Jurors and Its Impact on the Justice System in the Russian Empire from the Time of Catherine II to the Reforms of Alexander II

This article is devoted to the study of the issue of the gradual formation of the institution of jurors in the Russian Empire.The authors considered the influence of the Renaissance on the development of the criminal justice system both in Western European countries and in the Russian Empire, in particular.In the course of the work, the writings of the leading philosophers of the Enlightenment were studied, as well as a document that was, among other things, compiled on the basis of these writings, namely the "Mandate" of Catherine II, in which the Empress reflected a number of paramount theses aimed at establishing a new path of development of the Russian Empire.The authors of the article also consistently analyzed the ideas of reforming the judicial system of the Russian Empire in terms of introducing jurors as participants in criminal proceedings, starting from the reign of Empress Catherine II.Special attention was paid to the topic of the organization of the institute of jurors and the analysis of their activities as participants in criminal proceedings after the judicial reform of 1864, in particular the regulatory regulation of their activities.The authors formulated the key stages of the process of formation of the institution of jurors within the judicial system of the Russian Empire.In the course of this study, the authors also analyzed a number of high-profile trials considered with the participation of jurors, such as the trial of Vera Zasulich and the case of Cronenberg et al.When analyzing these trials, the authors clearly illustrated their influence and importance in the sphere of the level of development of the legal consciousness of the population of the Russian Empire, citizens who were contemporaries of these events, on the basis of which some conclusions were formulated regarding the organization of the institute of jurors in the Russian Empire, as well as its strong and weak characteristics.