According to Section 71 of the Constitution of Russia, criminal and criminal-procedure law are under the exclusive jurisdiction of Federal bodies. The assurance of public order and safety is a joint duty of the federation and its parts. It should be noted that acts issued by authorities of the regions and republics forming Russia cannot contradict the laws issued by Federal bodies. The system of courts is governed by the Justice Ministry of Russia, which has territorial branches in the federation. This ministry primarily performs financial and administrative functions.
Judges are independent and make their decisions according to the rule of law.
Higher courts may affirm or repeal the decisions of the lower courts according to criminal procedure rules and may also grant writs of certiorari. History of the Criminal Justice System. The criminal legislation of Russia has its deepest roots in the first known act, Russkaya pravda, issued in 11th century. The great codification of Russian criminal legislation called Sobornoe Ulozhenie occurred in 1649. Before the revolution the Ulozhenie o nakazaniyah ugolovnich i ispravitelnich was effective.