ROUND TABLE OF THE BUSINESS-OMBUDSMAN OF RUSSIA ON ISSUES OF “PENITENTIARY MEDICINE”

07/04/2022 leaders of the L&P criminal law practice Alexander Linnikov and Tatiana Tsepkina spoke ant the session of the round table on issues of legal discipline of organisation of medical assistance to persons held in custody and serving sentences in penitentiary institutions, arranged by the Office of the Public Commissioner for the Protection of Rights of Entrepreneurs under the President of Russia.

 

Founder of Linnikov & Partners spoke about the most acute problem of “penitentiary medicine” — utter subjectivity of medical examination of inmates and unacceptable formalisation of hearings by courts of petitions for release from punishment due to illness. As a consequence of these vices of the system, persons, who acquire grave illnesses while serving sentences, are denied their lawful right to release.

 

Alexander and Tatiana’s contributions, illustrated by vivid examples from controversial and unfair practice of resolution by the courts of inmates’ petitions for early release from punishment due to illness, stimulated a productive discussion. L&P proposals of amendments to art. 81 of the Criminal Code and several acts of the Government of Russia aimed at guaranteeing to inmates of the right for early release due to illness and improvement of the procedure of medical examination, were approved for inclusion into the Annual Report of the Public Commissioner for Protection of Rights of Entrepreneurs to the President of Russia.