Kovalyov Readings XXI International Research-to-Practice Conference

“Ural Criminal School of Law Through Time: Legacy of Ivan Yakovlevich Kozachenko”

12-15 February 2025

Ekaterinburg, Russia

Kovalyov Readings XXI International Research-to-Practice Conference

Topic of the Conference: “Ural Criminal School of Law Through Time: Legacy of Ivan Yakovlevich Kozachenko”

First day of the Conference

Time: February 13, 2025, 10.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m.

Location: Hyatt Regency Hotel, 8 B. Yeltsin str., Ekaterinburg

Plenary session: “URAL CRIMINAL SCHOOL OF LAW THROUGH TIME: LEGACY OF IVAN YAKOVLEVICH KOZACHENKO”

The Ural School of Law is not only a set of scientific approaches and techniques, but traditions laid down in various historical contexts as well. The Ural School of Law made a great advance in various branches of law, including constitutional, administrative, civil, and criminal law. The traditions of legal education in the Urals continue developing today, holding up a high level of legal science and education in the region. I. Ya. Kozachenko focused on the issues of the correlation of law and morality in criminal legislation, criminal liability problems and many other aspects of criminal legal science, which will be considered at the Conference. As a teacher, he aided development of legal education in the Urals, taught at law faculties and continues teaching at the Ural State Law University. Ivan Yakovlevich was a mentor to many students who became prominent scientists and practitioners later.

The Conference covers the following areas:

• Historical Aspects of the Ural School of Law: a study of its origin and development at different stages, starting from the pre-revolutionary period and ending with the modern time.

• Legacy of I. Ya. Kozachenko in the Context of Criminal Law: how his works and ideas influenced the criminal law formation and development in the Urals and Russia in general.

• Theoretical and Practical Aspects of Legal Science: analysis of the basic theories and concepts proposed by I. Ya. Kozachenko and their impact on modern legal practice.

• Teaching Activities and Development of Scientific Manpower: role of I. Ya. Kozachenko in the development of legal education in the Urals, his influence on the development of the new generation of lawyers.

Parallel session: “MORAL, RELIGIOUS, AND CRIMINAL LAW COMPONENTS: PROBLEMS OF INTERACTION”

One of the most important postulates for Ivan Yakovlevich Kozachenko was the correlation of law and morality with criminal law, and almost all his works on the criminalization of acts went through aspects of the moral and religious foundations of society, which preserves its relevance today. Law and morality are two important social regulators that influence the individuals’ behaviour and functioning of the society. In the context of criminal law, their correlation is of particular importance, since criminal legislation is aimed at protecting public interests and preserving the order, based on both legal norms and moral values of the society. As I. Ya. Kozachenko correctly pointed out: “The moral standards of society often serve as the basis for developing and changing the criminal legislation. The legislation reflects the moral values of the society, providing legal protection for the values that are considered important and worthy of being protected.” In certain situations, legal standards come in conflict with the moral beliefs of individual groups or the society as a whole. This may drive to ethical dilemmas and cause the need for the legislation review. The relationship between law and morality in criminal law is a dynamic and multifaceted process that reflects changes in social values and moral beliefs. An efficient interaction between law and morality facilitates the creation of fair and humane criminal legislation which can be adapted to the changing conditions of the society. It is important to ensure that criminal law not only protects public interests, but conforms to moral standard, thereby providing for public confidence in the legal system and its institutions.

Suggested topics for discussion:

• Morality and Criminal Law: Ethical Liability of the State

• Religious Norms in Criminal Law: Limit which Should not be Crossed

• Conflict of Religious and Secular Principles in Criminal Law

• Ethics of Punishment: Religious and Moral Aspects

• Religious Rights and Freedoms in the Context of Criminal Law

Parallel session: “FOREIGN ECONOMIC ACTIVITY IN RUSSIA: STATE, RESPONSIBILITY, PUNISHMENT, PERSPECTIVES”

“The global changes in the economic, political and legal systems that occurred in Russia over the past quarter century have led to the expansion of cooperation between Russian civilian circulation participants and foreign partners. Despite the political and economic situation in the world, the Russian Federation remains a weighty player on the world stage. Foreign economic activities are a multilevel, multifaceted, multi-vector and multi-subject phenomenon. Import substitution activities, countering the efforts to cut the Russian participants of the foreign economic activities off the right of access to foreign markets and ensuring restoration of their rights, protecting the domestic market from adverse foreign economic factors have gained relevance. Threats in the economic sphere have a complex nature: it is significantly influenced by geopolitical, social, criminal, and other factors. The State’s economic security policy should provide for a system of measures blocking the causes of all types of danger. Criminal elements accompanying these types of activities penetrate deep enough into the respective spheres and therefore inevitably increases the latent background. In his article, Professor I. Ya. Kozachenko said: “Any prospects for foreign economic activities and their various manifestations, even the most alluring ones, are unthinkable without a reasonably justified and sufficient criminalization of those criminal manifestations that pose an increased danger not only to certain areas of foreign economic activities, but to the state economic security as well.”

Suggested topics for discussion:

• State of Foreign Economic Activities in Russia and Role of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU);

• Responsibility for Breaches of Legislation in the Field of Foreign Economic Activities: Tax crimes and evasion of customs payments and other crimes in the field of foreign economic activities;

• Punishment for offences in the field of foreign economic activities, including international sanctions and their impact on penalties within foreign economic activities;

• Alternative punishments and their efficiency in the field of foreign economic activities, under the lens of efficiency analysis of criminal and administrative sanctions in foreign economic activities and dispute resolution without the use of criminal sanctions:

Parallel session: “ON EXAMINATION OF CRIMINAL PUNISHMENT EFFICIENCY”

Professor I. Ya. Kazachenko raised the issue on the punishment efficiency problems back in 1976, pointing out that the goals set before the criminal law, such as crime prevention, correction of offenders, compensation for damages, and restoration of social justice, are not achieved. Some studies show that excessive punishment severity does not always contribute to reducing crime, on the contrary, increasing the recidivism due to the impossibility of social rehabilitation. The question arises as to the extent of efficiency of alternative punishments such as conditional sentence, probation, correctional labour or home confinement as compared to imprisonment. The punishment efficiency depends on the crime nature. There are ongoing discussions in the scientific community as to how to approach punishment most effectively. For example, the restorative justice methods (where the emphasis is on reconciliation between the perpetrator and the victim) have gained support as a more humane and sometimes more effective way of offender correction. The experience of different countries (Scandinavia, USA, Germany and others) shows that there are many different approaches to punishment. For example, Norway focuses on rehabilitation and creating comfortable conditions for convicts, while in the United States the punishment system is more stringent, with an emphasis on the isolation of offenders. The criminal punishment efficiency cannot be viewed solely through the lens of its severity. An important aspect constitutes the balance between punishment, correction, and social rehabilitation.

Suggested topics for discussion:

• Criminal Punishment Efficiency in the Context of Prevention.

• Impact of Public Opinion on the Perception of Punishment.

• Alternative Punishments: their Role and Advantages.

• Problems of Recidivism and Ways to Solve them.

• Church and Religious Influence on Convicts

Parallel session: “PROTECTION OF THE INFORMATION AND LEGAL SPACE OF AN INDIVIDUAL AS A GOAL OF CRIMINAL LAW”

The importance and relevance of the topic of an individual’s digital security is more relevant than ever in the context of an incredible technological breakthrough, but it is surprising that thirty years ago Ivan Yakovlevich Kozachenko raised the issues related to the protection of personal rights in the context of digitalization and development of information technologies, while today we are talking more and more about telephone fraud invading our personal information space every day, if not every minute. In this regard, questions about the role of technology in increasing threats to individual rights, as well as ethical and legal aspects of personal data protection, are becoming even more urgent. Once again the society faces the unresolved problem of defining an individual’s information and legal space and ensuring the balance between freedom of information and private life protection as well as constructing criminal law protection of such a space. During the session, it is proposed to analyse the current legal mechanisms and develop recommendations for legislation improvement to provide for more efficient protection of individual rights in the modern digital world.

Suggested topics for discussion:

• Digital Crimes and their Impact on Personal Rights

• Personal Data Protection: Liability for Violation of Confidentiality

• Criminal Liability for Online Bullying and Digital Harassment

• Digital Reputation and Defamation: New Challenges for Criminal Law

• Information Security and Protection of Digital Identity

• Prospects for Legislative Reforms in the Field of Personal Information Security

Second day of the Conference

Time: February 14, 2025, 10.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m.

Location: Hyatt Regency Hotel, 8 B. Yeltsin str., Ekaterinburg

Parallel session: “TEACHING AND DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENTIFIC MANPOWER”

Education and tutoring of the new generation of scientists and specialists is one of the important directions of state policy. In this regard, teaching methods, organizational aspects of the formation of the country’s scientific potential, including the system of graduate student training, postdocs and their integration into the scientific community is an important state development resource. The discussion of the teachers’ role in the scientific manpower development during the session will determine the modern scientific supervisor’s personality, taking into account modern challenges in teaching related to the education of scientists, and develop proposals to improve the system of the scientific manpower education, based on the interaction of educational and scientific institutions in the preparation of future researchers. During the session, it is proposed to find ways to improve education and training of future scientists, which is important for the development of the country’s scientific potential.

Suggested topics for discussion:

• Mentoring in Science: How Can Teachers Contribute to the Development of Future Scientists?

• Modern Technologies and Digitalization in Teaching and Training of Scientific Manpower

• Student Motivation for Scientific Work: What Methods are Most Efficient?

• Integration of Science and Education: How to Create an Efficient System for Scientist Training?

• Role of Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies in the Scientific Manpower Development

Parallel session: “EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE — A PROBLEM OF CHOICE”

Educational systems are in constant development and, along with other public institutions, change in accordance with the geopolitical and economic situation. Currently, there is a tendency to returning to the former systems and moving away from the new ones, as they failed to prove their value. In this regard, there is a need for analysis of evolution of educational systems, their current state and prospects for further development in the context of rapid changes in society and technology. It is proposed to focus on the problems of choice between traditional and new approaches in education, as well as on the challenges and opportunities faced by educational systems, while evaluating new educational models and technologies that impact the future of education and identify strategies of educational system improvement taking into account global changes.

Suggested topics for discussion:

• Historical Roots of the Modern Educational System

• Digitalization of Education: Reform or Revolution?

• Inclusive Education: How to Ensure Equal Opportunities for All?

• Future of Educational Models: Hybrid, Project-Based and Customized Education

• Professional Training and Retraining in a Rapidly Changing Labour Market

Parallel sessions of the Conference Partners will be clarified later

Entertainment Program

February 12, 2025, 8.00 p.m. to 11.00 p.m.

Welcoming Cocktail

Location: Hyatt Regency Hotel, 8 B. Yeltsin str., Ekaterinburg

February 13, 2025, 8.00 p.m. to 12.00 a.m.