Recruitment Patterns, Gender, and Professional Subcultures of the Judiciary in Russia

Abstract

This article looks at judges of general jurisdiction and justices of the peace in Russia as a professional group. We analyze the key changes in recruitment patterns, the social composition and work of the judiciary and assess their influence on the professional culture. We use interviews with judges to explain how the changing character of work of judges and of their technical aids affects patterns and sources of recruitment of new judges in favor of women from the apparatus of courts. Then, using the original survey data, we assess whether different professional backgrounds and social characteristics of judges produce different professional subcultures. The analysis allow to identify professional subcultures that are distinguished though judges' identification with different professional values, norms, and attitudes.