Legal approaches to combating massacres in russia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37497/sdgs.v11i1.260Keywords:
Mass murders, Death penalty, Arms in circulation, Young peopleAbstract
Objective: In recent decades, the number of mass shootings in Russian educational institutions has increased. The study aims at evaluating the effectiveness of various means of protecting an individual developed and implemented in the country. Within this objective, the authors discuss the possibility of using preventive measures against grave crimes, i.e. the death penalty enshrined in the current criminal law but not fully implemented due to the moratorium. In the emerging Russian judicial practice, the authors consider crimes committed by minors and persons between the age of 18 and 21.
Methods: As part of the study, the authors review scientific works on the topic, crime statistics, and decisions of legislative authorities.
Results: According to the newly developed and consolidated provisions of Russian legislation, there has been a tightening of responsibility for arms trafficking in the form of a complete ban on the acquisition of any firearms by the named persons. It has been established that the main reason for the rapid increase in massacres is not the tightening or leniency of the law but its non-compliance. In the cases under consideration, civilian firearms were acquired by young people illegally due to neglect of one’s professional duties.
Conclusion: The authors believe that the measures, consisting in toughening the responsibility for the illegal circulation of civilian weapons adopted in 2021, will be more effective in preventing massacres among persons under the age of 21. As for the ability of such measures to counteract grave crimes committed by persons who have already reached this age, there are great doubts about their effectiveness. In this regard, there is a need to improve the newly adopted measures to prevent grave crimes among young people depending on their age (under or over 21).
References
Agnich, L.E. (2015). A comparative analysis of attempted and completed school-based mass murder attacks. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 40(1), 1-22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12103-014-9239-5
Artamonova, E.A. (2019). Voleizyavlenie obvinyaemogo (podozrevaemogo) kak ugolovno-protsessualnaya kategoriya [The will of the accused (suspect) as a criminal procedural category]. Vserossiiskii kriminologicheskii zhurnal, 13(6), 1025-1034. https://doi.org/10.17150/2500-4255.2019.13(6).1025-1034
Artamonova, E.A., & Tretyak, M.I. (2022). Massovoe vooruzhennoe ubiistvo v uchebnykh organizatsiyakh: Vozmozhnosti protivodeistviya ugolovno-pravovymi sredstvami [Mass shootings in educational organizations: Opportunities to counteract criminal and legal means]. Vserossiiskii kriminologicheskii zhurnal, 16(2), 229-239.
Bondarenko, M. (2021, May 13). Zolotov predlozhil mery po uzhestocheniyu pravil obrashcheniya s oruzhiem [Zolotov proposed measures to tighten the rules for handling weapons]. RBK. Retrieved August 22, 2021 from https://www.rbc.ru/society/13/05/2021/609d17499a79477f032e1071
Dobrynin, S. (2021, May 13). Oruzhie i smertnaya kazn. Reaktsiya vlastei na tragediyu v Kazani [Weapons and the death penalty. The response of public authorities to the tragedy in Kazan]. Retrieved August 13, 2021 from https://www.svoboda.org/a/31253197.html
Fedosenko, V. (2007). Bittsevskiy ubiytsa otkazalsya ot advokata [Bitsevskiy murderer refused a lawyer]. Rossiiskaia Gazeta [Ros. Gaz.] 14.09.2007, No. 4467. Retrieved November 30, 2022 from https://rg.ru/2007/09/14/pichuschkin.html
Interfaks. (2020, August 14). Zhitel Saratova poluchil pozhiznennyi srok za iznasilovanie i ubiistvo shkolnitsy [A resident of Saratov received a life sentence for the rape and murder of a schoolgirl]. Retrieved November 30, 2022 from https://www.interfax.ru/russia/723000
Kozlova, N. (2010, November 26). Militsionera, ne zakhotevshego lovit' "bittsevskogo man'yaka", posadili na tri goda [The policeman who did not want to catch the "Bitsevsky maniac" was sentenced to three years in prison]. Rossiiskaia Gazeta [Ros. Gaz.] 14.09.2007, No. 5347. Retrieved November 30, 2022 from https://rg.ru/2010/11/26/kriminal.html
Lenta.ru. (2021, May 12). Onishchenko podderzhal vozvrashchenie smertnoi kazni posle strelby v kazanskoi shkole [Onishchenko supported the return of the death penalty after the shooting at the Kazan school]. Retrieved August 14, 2021 from https://lenta.ru/news/2021/05/12/onii/
Malko, A. V. (1998). Smertnaya kazn. Sovremennye problem [Death penalty. Modern problem]. Pravovedenie, 1, 106-116.
Muschert, G. W. (2007). Research in school shootings. Sociology Compass, 1, 60-80.
Newman, K.S., Fox, C., Harding, D., Mehta, J., & Roth, W. (2012). Rampage: The social roots of school shootings. New York: Basic Books, 424 p.
President of the Russian Federation. (1996). Ukaz Prezidenta Rossiyskoy Federatsii ot 16 maya 1996 g. No. 724 “O poetapnom sokrashchenii primeneniya smertnoi kazni v svyazi s vkhozhdeniem Rossii v Sovet Evropy” [Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of May 16, 1996 No. 724 “On phasing out the death penalty in connection with Russia's accession to the Council of Europe”]. Retrieved December 6, 2022 from http://www.kremlin.ru/acts/bank/9357
RBK. (2021). Sluchai primeneniya uchenikami oruzhiya v rossiyskikh shkolakh i kolledzhakh [Incidents of pupils using weapons in Russian schools and colleges]. Retrieved November 16, 2022 from https://www.rbc.ru/rbcfreenews/59ae73079a794770b1def7e9
RBK. (2021, May 11). Sluchai strelby i napadenii v rossiiskikh shkolakh i kolledzhakh [The cases of shootings and attacks in Russian schools and colleges]. Retrieved August 13, 2021 from https://www.rbc.ru/society/11/05/2021/609a5cdc9a7947237982ce4a
RIA Novosti. (2019, November 1). Opros pokazal, skolko rossiyan vystupayut za vozvrashchenie smertnoi kazni [The poll showed how many Russians support the return of the death penalty]. Retrieved August 30, 2021 from https://ria.ru/20191101/1560486013.html
RIA Novosti. (2021, May 11). Mironov prizval vernut smertnuyu kazn za ubiistvo detei [Mironov called for the return of the death penalty for the murder of children]. Retrieved August 14, 2021 from https://ria.ru/20210511/mironov-1731742475.html
State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. (2001). Kodeks Rossiiskoi Federatsii ob administrativnykh pravonarusheniyakh ot 30 dekabrya 2001 g. No. 195-FZ [The Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offenses of December 30, 2001 No. 195-FZ] (as amended on July 1, 2021). Retrieved August 22, 2021 from http://pravo.gov.ru/proxy/ips/?docbody&nd=102074277
State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. (2021a). Federal'nyy zakon ot 28 iyunya 2021 g. No. 231-FZ “O vnesenii izmenenii v Federalnyi zakon ‘Ob oruzhii’ i otdelnye zakonodatelnye akty Rossiiskoi Federatsii” [Federal Law of June 28, 2021 No. 231-FZ “On amendments to the Federal Law ‘On weapons’ and certain legislative acts of the Russian Federation”]. Retrieved August 22, 2021 from http://publication.pravo.gov.ru/Document/View/0001202106280032
State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. (2021b). Federal'nyy zakon ot 1 iyulya 2021 g. No. 281-FZ “O vnesenii izmenenii v Ugolovnyi kodeks Rossiiskoi Federatsii i Ugolovno-protsessualnyi kodeks RF [Federal Law of July 1, 2021 No. 281-FZ “On amendments to the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation”]. Retrieved August 22, 2021 from http://publication.pravo.gov.ru/Document/View/0001202107010044
TASS. (2021, June 28). Eksperty schitayut, chto novye popravki v zakon “Ob oruzhii” privedut k sokrashcheniyu rabochikh [Experts believe that the new amendments to the law “On Weapons” will lead to a reduction in employees]. Retrieved August 17, 2021 from https://tass.ru/obschestvo/11772189
The member States of the Council of Europe. (1983). Protokol No. 6 k Konventsii o zashchite prav cheloveka i osnovnykh svobod otnositelno otmeny smertnoi kazni ot 28 aprelya 1983 g. [Protocol No. 6 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms on the abolition of the death penalty of April 28, 1983]. Retrieved December 6, 2022 from https://rm.coe.int/168007952b
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Grigory Chechel, Elena Artamonova, Maria Tretyak, Sergei Gontar
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
1. Authors who publish in this journal agree to the following terms: the author(s) authorize(s) the publication of the text in the journal;
2. The author(s) ensure(s) that the contribution is original and unpublished and that it is not in the process of evaluation by another journal;
3. The journal is not responsible for the views, ideas and concepts presented in articles, and these are the sole responsibility of the author(s);
4. The publishers reserve the right to make textual adjustments and adapt texts to meet with publication standards.
5. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right to first publication, with the work simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Atribuição NãoComercial 4.0 internacional, which allows the work to be shared with recognized authorship and initial publication in this journal.
6. Authors are allowed to assume additional contracts separately, for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in this journal (e.g. publish in institutional repository or as a book chapter), with recognition of authorship and initial publication in this journal.
7. Authors are allowed and are encouraged to publish and distribute their work online (e.g. in institutional repositories or on a personal web page) at any point before or during the editorial process, as this can generate positive effects, as well as increase the impact and citations of the published work (see the effect of Free Access) at http://opcit.eprints.org/oacitation-biblio.html
• 8. Authors are able to use ORCID is a system of identification for authors. An ORCID identifier is unique to an individual and acts as a persistent digital identifier to ensure that authors (particularly those with relatively common names) can be distinguished and their work properly attributed.
