Citizen Participation in the Administration of Justice: Research and Policy in Poland

Abstract

Citizen (that is, public) participation in the administration of justice is a fundamental principle of the policy towards the development of socialist judicial systems. The socialist societies stress the concept of a “social element” juxtaposted between professional jurists and the public — that is, persons or organizations, with no special professional qualifications, who play a role in the administration of justice outside their regular job, and without remuneration, except for expenses and lost earnings. The principle has been carried into effect differently in various systems and times. It flows from a mere general political and constitutional principle: citizens must increasingly participate in the governing power of the state. Thus, the political goal of the “citizens’ participation” principle is the democratization of power, the growth of self-government in the community, and the educating and reshaping of citizens to perform public functions — in the administration of justice, among others.