The Role of a Defense Lawyer in the Russian Penal System

The article examines the role of a defense lawyer in the Penal System of the Russian Federation. Particular attention is paid to the legal regulation of advocacy, the functions of a defense lawyer in protecting the convicts’ rights, as well as his participation in preventing recidivism. The main problems that the defense lawyers face when interacting with the Penal System of the Russian Federation are analysed, such as limited access to convicts, insufficient transparency of the correctional institutions’ work and violations of the convicts’ rights. Prospects for increasing the effectiveness of advocacy, including improving legislation, introducing electronic accounting systems and developing legal education for convicts, are considered. Purpose: to identify the problems that the defense lawyers face in the Penal System, as well as to establish the role of a lawyer in preventing recidivism. Methods: in the study under question the method systematisation and the method of retrospective are used. Results: the authors came to the conclusion that there is a need for an integrated approach to ensure the rights of convicts and strengthen the role of a defense lawyer in their reintegration process.