Supreme justice backs fines against imprisonment

MOSCOW, April 22 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia's Supreme Justice Vyacheslav
Lebedev backed the introduction of fines instead of prison terms for minor
crimes, but said poor collection of fines violates the principle of
unavoidability of punishment.
"Fines are a good measure, but the collection of fines in criminal
cases comprised only 37 percent," he said in an interview with Kommersant
daily published on Friday.
The situation with administrative offenses is even worse. "Last year
courts considered 5.3 million cases of administrative offense and fine
collection comprised only 23 percent," he said adding court decisions
worth 5.7 billion rubles were not fulfilled. The 2009 figure was 12
billion rubles.
"As a result the principle of unavoidability of punishment is
violated," Lebedev said.
The Supreme Justice admitted that judges are often subject to
pressure. "To deny pressure means to play cunning. Pressure is exerted and
that is bad," he said adding pressure mostly comes from anonymous sources
through online media.
"Judges are humans who have their limits of psychological
self-possession, therefore it is a danger for justice," he said.