Complicity in a Minor Act and Minor Complicity in Crime

The article notes that the criminal legal assessment of complicity in a crime from the point of view of the provisions of Part 2 of Art. 14 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation presupposes the solution of two interrelated tasks: 1) assessment of the social danger of the act itself, which was the result of the joint efforts of co-participants, i.e. actions (act of inaction) of the performer (co-executors); 2) assessment of the public danger of the participation of a particular person in the commission of this act. Thus, the projection of Part 2 of Art. 14 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation for an act committed in complicity, multiplies (at least doubles) the subject of criminal legal assessment.Complicity is traditionally considered a circumstance that increases the degree of public danger of an act. However, the fact of committing a criminal act in complicity does not in itself prevent the application of the provisions of Part 2 of Art. 14 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Firstly, the influence of this circumstance on the degree of social danger of the act is not so clear, since in some cases complicity can even reduce the social danger of the act (an example would be criminal acts committed under the influence of mental coercion or as a result of the involvement of a minor into illegal activities). And secondly, even in a typical situation when complicity increases the social danger of an act, this influence can be completely offset by circumstances that reduce the social danger of the act to an insignificant level. Specifics of application of the provisions of Part 2 of Art. 14 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation to an act committed by the joint efforts of several persons is that the issue of insignificance should be considered in relation to each such person individually, taking into account his role in the unlawful act committed, his personal criminal “contribution”, the amount of guilt, personal motives and goals.