The Criminal Code of the Russian Federation is divided into a General Part, containing general principles relating to criminal responsibility and assessment of punishment and a Special Part, listing various offences and punishments.
Under the General Part persons are subject to the criminal law when they reach the age of sixteen years for normal crimes, and fourteen years for murder and other grave crimes. Persons who are insane at the time of commission of a crime may not be convicted thereof.
The Criminal Code introduces some factors that exclude guilt to go along with traditional justifications such as self-defence or necessity or excuses such as duress. These include “innocent infliction of harm,” by persons who, due to objective or subjective (mental) circumstances, could not have appreciated the danger of their acts or have prevented the harm or who inflict harm while taking a socially useful justified risk. First-time offenders who commit less serious crimes can be freed of criminal responsibility if they engage in “active remorse” in the form of turning themselves in, aiding in the solving of the crime or making restitution.
The goal of punishment under the Code is the re-establishment of social justice, rehabilitation of а convicted person, and prevention of the commission of new crimes. The Code introduces life imprisonment as an alternative to the death penalty.
The Special Part of the Criminal Code contains a typical list of crimes against the person (homicide, sexual offences, assaultive conduct). A special chapter is devoted to punishment of violations against “the constitutional rights and freedoms of the person and citizen”, among them acts infringing on the inviolability of one’s private life, correspondence, and dwelling or on the liberty of confession or assembly.
Entrepreneurial activity is protected by the Constitution and regulated by criminal law. Offences connected with money laundering, restricting competition, false advertising, securities or credit fraud, fraudulent bankruptcy, tax evasion, and consumer fraud are punished according to the criminal code.
New provisions provide for punishment for “ecological crimes” and “crimes in the sphere of computer information”, including hacking and creating viruses. The present Code provides for responsibility for environmental crimes, some relating to general violation of rules, others to improper handling of dangerous substances such as biological agents or toxins, still others protecting distinct resources such as water, the atmosphere, the sea, the continental shelf, the soil, the subsoil, and flora and fauna. Such offences as incitement to national, racial, or religious hatred are punishable in accordance with the present Criminal Code.