On the notion of moral damage in the criminal law

The article considers the notion "moral damage", theoretical and practical problems connected with the different interpretation of this notion. It shows the ambiguity of judicial decisions on criminal cases when superior courts ignore the interior courts' instructions to levy a compensation for moral damage for the benefit of complainants in case their rights of property were violated. It is proposed to fix the notion "moral damage" in the note to the paragraph "к" of the article 61 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.