Using of sociological methods in the study of court work

Abstract

The article analyzes the possibilities of using the most widespread sociological methods in the process of studying various aspects of court activity. Are offered directions of application of different types of methods in research of work of court depending on their purpose. Thus, it is noted that the use of the method of document analysis is effective in the investigation of the personality of the judge, in the analysis of statistics of various indicators of the court, the study of media materials. The method of observation is effectively used in the study of subjects of court sessions, the interests of participants, peculiarities of their behavior, studying the structure of the meeting, observance of norms for its conduct, etc. With the help of the sociological method of interviewing judges and employees of the court apparatus, one can find out the working conditions of judges and employees of the court apparatus, assess the business, professional and personal qualities of the leadership, study the moral and psychological climate in the team, etc. Particular attention is paid to the method of citizen reporting cards, which is based on the traditional survey method. It indicates its essence and differences from the survey method. It is noted, in particular, on the following differences: the feature of the sample (the questionnaire is subject only to participants in court proceedings), the specifics of tools (a citizen reporting card based on certain criteria-measures), practical orientation (use of the results in the administration of a particular court and the judicial system as a whole). It is concluded that the use of sociological research methods in combination with existing methods of judicial analysis will allow obtaining more complete information on the work of the court, diagnose existing problems, and promote the implementation of democratic principles of transparency and openness.