Staffing of special judicial colleges. 1934-1938s

Scientific article

doi 10.28995/2073-0101-2024-4-1196-1214

For citation

Shkarevsky, Denis N. (2024), Staffing of special judicial colleges. 1934-1938, Herald of an Archivist, no. 4, pp. 1196-1214, doi 10.28995/2073-0101-2024-4-1196-1214

Shkarevsky, Denis N., Prince Alexander Nevsky Military University, Moscow, Russia

Staffing of special judicial colleges. 1934-1938s

Abstract

Special Collegiums operated in the Soviet justice system in 1934-1938. They were created within the framework of the NKVD reform to consider political cases investigated by this agency. To date, the study of this topic has been on the periphery of scientific research. There are works that only fragmentarily describe their functioning. There are no studies devoted to the study of the staff of judicial bodies. The main characteristics and peculiarities of the formation of the staff of these bodies have been revealed. The article is based on a wide range of published and archival sources stored in the State Archive of the Russian Federation (GARF) and the United State Archive of the Chelyabinsk Region (OGACHO). The research is based on the method proposed in the works of P. Solomon (Jr.), which involves a combination of traditions of such disciplines as criminology and history of justice. Also, historical-genetic and statistical methods are used in the work. In the course of the study, the author found that the special collegia represented a hierarchical system with subordination to the Supreme Court of the USSR. Their number depended on administrative transformations, and their activities were based on the territorial principle. The staff composition of these bodies was not stable. Provision with staff was low. The staff of the special collegia was made up of former NKVD officers. The educational level of the staff of special boards was low. The bet was made on politically loyal people, who had some experience in law enforcement or justice, and who came from social strata close to the party. Regular purges resulted in a systematic renewal of personnel. In 1934-1937, the purges mainly affected employees nominated to this job by the justice authorities. In 1937-1938, former NKVD officers who had been transferred to this job in 1934-1935 were repressed. Often the purges were carried out purposefully, on the basis of departmental instructions. A stable professional staff of the special collegiums was not formed. As a result, there were numerous violations of the norms of procedural law when forming the composition of the court. Special Collegiums were liquidated in 1938. The main argument explaining their liquidation was the adoption of the Law on the Judicial System. In the text of this normative act there was no mention of special collegiums within the Supreme and regional courts. The decree on the creation of special collegia was abolished only in 1956.

Keywords

Soviet justice, Soviet court, special courts, special justice, general justice, general courts, special colleges, special colleges, historical sources.

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About the authors

Shkarevsky, Denis N., PhD Historical Sciences, associate professor, Prince Alexander Nevsky Military University, Department mental security, associate professor, Moscow, Russia, +7-922-447-55-44, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

ORCID 0000-0003-0981-4791

The article was received in the editorial office on 13.05.2024, recommended for publication on 20.09.2024.