Northern (N): Soviet Union (NS). Application of Death Penalty for Certain Offences

A file of correspondence and press material concerning justice in the Soviet Union. The documents discuss the Soviet government's introduction of a new law that extends the number of offences for which the death penalty can be used, including "large-scale misappropriation of State and public property", forging or trading counterfeit coinage or notes "on a commercial scale", and causing violence in prisons. The documents also cover how, under this new law, Soviet citizens convicted of being "especially dangerous recidivists" cannot have their sentences reduced; and the Soviet government's explanation that this law intends to ensure that all Soviet citizens conform to "the norms of Soviet morality". Other documents comment on the Soviet government's attempt to combat alcoholism in the Soviet Union by increasing the penalties for those found guilty of brewing alcohol at home; and a trial held in Moscow of twelve citizens accused of being "plunderers of State property".