The lower house of the Russian parliament will on Wednesday consider in the first reading a presidential bill to reduce punishments for minor offenses.
President Dmitry Medvedev submitted the bill introducing changes to Russia's Criminal Code in late November last year.
The amendments would give judges more leeway in their decisions and allow them to fine those found guilty of minor crimes, rather than jailing them or sentencing them to community work.
"The changes will not affect Article 105 of the Criminal Code regulating punishments for killing," said Vladimir Gruzdev, the first deputy head of the State Duma committee on legislation.
In his address to the Federal Assembly last year, the president called for wider use of fines as a punishment for crimes not related to violence. He also said that judges should not perceive the maximum possible punishment for crimes as the only option.
On January 1, a law prohibiting the imprisonment of those suspected in tax evasion came into force in Russia.
In April, Medvedev signed into law amendments to legislation on economic crimes intended to increase the use of bail for suspects awaiting trial and prevent officials pressurizing suspects by keeping them in pretrial detention for extended periods. As a result, the number of arrests in Russia decreased by 20 percent in the first half of 2010.
Medvedev, who portrays himself as a young and technologically savvy leader, is seeking to improve the economic environment in the country and create incentives for domestic businesses to switch to a knowledge-based and innovative economy.
MOSCOW, January 12 (RIA Novosti)
