The oldest resolution of the plenum of the Supreme Court was replaced with a new one

It “lasted” 94 years

The oldest existing Resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court lost its force this week. It “lasted” a record 94 years, surviving several regimes and many state leaders. The resolution, among other things, described what a continuing and continuing crime was.

The oldest Resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the USSR “On the conditions for the application of limitation and amnesty to ongoing and continuing crimes” was dated March 4 of the USSR, 1929. At the same time, it was in force and applied by the courts until December 12, 2023.

“It regulated the procedure for criminal liability for two categories of crimes: “continuing” and “continuing,” says criminologist Danil Sergeev. – What is the difference? A continuing crime is a single crime consisting of a number of identical actions, for example, stealing an item for spare parts. And a continuing crime is a crime that consists either of a long-term failure to fulfill some duties, or of some other so-called “criminal conditions.” For example, escaping from prison is an ongoing crime that begins with the moment of escape and ends when the person surrenders or is apprehended.

The oldest resolution, according to the Supreme Court, was replaced by a new one, dated December 12, 2023. The plenum revealed the concepts of ongoing and continuing crimes in more detail, but while maintaining the basic outline of previous positions. This clarification is necessary so that for ongoing and continuing crimes it can be determined at what moment this act was committed (because the criminal law applies at the time the crime was committed) and at what moment it is over (this is also important, because in such crimes there is no the moment of their end is always obvious).