Prosecutorial supervision bodies in the law enforcement system of the North Caucasus in post-Reform Russia of the late 19th century

Abstract

Introduction. The article deals with the formation and development of the procuratorial authorities of the post-reform period of the second half of the 19th century and their activities in the territory of the Stavropol province and the Tersk and Kuban regions. The article shows the processes of transformation of prosecutorial oversight bodies in relation to the growth of crime in the region and the desire of local authorities to strengthen the composition of law enforcement officials in general and prosecutors in particular. Materials and Methods. The study is based on central and local archive data, as well as some sources published in the pre-revolutionary press and statistical data from the annual reports of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Empire on the functioning of the judicial system of the country. The article provides a structured analysis of the results of their work and the associated activities of the prosecutorial bodies and an assessment of both the content of their service and the number of their staff. Results. It can be concluded that the prosecutorial oversight bodies of the North Caucasus not only monitored the implementation of Russian legislation, being an «eye of the state», but also after the judicial reform in Russia in 1864 became an integral element in the organization and conduct of a number of criminal and civil proceedings, acting as the prosecution in court. The joint prosecutor-lawyer trial was a vivid example of a new, reformed judicial legislation that promoted the inclusion of the North Caucasus region in the Russian-wide civil rights orbit in the local multinational population.