A geographical approach to determining the accessibility of justice in criminal cases (using the example of the district courts of general jurisdiction of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug)

The article is devoted to the study of the geographical accessibility of courts of general jurisdiction in a number of regions of the Russian Federation. The object of the study was the district courts of general jurisdiction located in the district of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, as well as public relations in the field of criminal procedure, affecting the activities of participants in criminal proceedings during the criminal cases proceedings. The subject of the study includes the remoteness of district courts of general jurisdiction from executive authorities, transport hubs (and their remoteness from the locations of local governments, law enforcement agencies, airports, bus stations and railway stations) and remote settlements; criminal procedure rules and regulations governing public access to justice; the degree of accessibility of the district courts themselves to the public in general. The main research methods were the geoinformation method, the cartographic method, as well as the comparative legal method, including an analysis of the norms of the criminal procedure legislation of the Russian Federation and judicial practice. The application of the geographical approach made it possible to establish in various aspects the degree of accessibility of courts of general jurisdiction for the population living in various municipal districts of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. The conducted research revealed a number of problems related to ensuring access to justice for the local population, for shift workers, as well as for the indigenous peoples of the North. Despite the fact that most of the district courts of general jurisdiction in municipal areas are located within walking distance from local government and law enforcement agencies located nearby in the district center, a certain proportion of judicial authorities remain inaccessible to the population living in remote settlements of municipal areas. Access to appellate and cassation justice also remains difficult for a number of participants in criminal proceedings.