Telephone Justice in Russia

This article investigates the predicament of the Russian legal system associated with the phenomenon of telefonnoye pravo or "telephone justice"—informal influence or pressure exerted on the judiciary—using quantitative data obtained from the all-Russia national survey conducted in 2007. These data are complemented by subsequent in-depth interviews with experts. The article offers a conceptual framework for the analysis of informal influence and empirical findings about forms of telephone justice. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, the spread of the practice is assessed and the relationship of pervasiveness of the practice to its effectiveness is analyzed.