Amnesty as a special type of exemption from criminal liability

The aim of this study is to investigate the legal nature of the institution of amnesty in the criminal legislation of the Russian Federation. The article examines the positions of various scholars on the topic under study, providing their definitions of amnesty as a concept. A comparative legal analysis of the phenomenon in question and the types of exemption from criminal liability provided by Chapter 11 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation is made in this paper. The Criminal Law Institution in question does not encourage positive post-criminal behavior of persons amnestied before the verdict of the court and points to a more effective preventive effect on convicted persons. In addition, the dualistic nature of amnesty, not devoid of imperfection, is emphasized, due to the dialectic of the conflicting unity of the socio-political and legal foundations of its functioning.