Independence of prosecutors in the Russian justice system

Abstract

Based on the data of the sociological survey, the author considers the attitude of prosecutors to their own independence and to the circumstances that can affect it. The questionnaire focused on the opinions of prosecutors and various aspects of the impact on their decisions: higher management, pressure from the media, representatives of state authorities, etc. The results of the survey prove that the relationship between the higher management and public authorities in the field of their impact on the independence of prosecutors has both functional-hierarchical and real reasons. The study revealed a coincidence of the high level of dependence on the authorities with the high level of management interference in the procedural activities of prosecutors, which allows to suggest that in most cases officials put pressure on prosecutors through their higher management. The results of the survey show that with experience the level of critical evaluation of authorities’ attempts to influence the process and the results of the prosecutors’ work increases. If young professionals do not feel rejection when face the intervention of the authorities, then with the growth of experience negative assessments of such actions appear and gradually strengthen. At the same time, the revealed indicators do not allow to say that for inexperienced prosecutors at the first stages of their professional development the phenomenon of power is unknown or unclear. On the contrary, they are familiar with it and feel the most favorable attitude towards it.