CRIMINAL CASES CULTURE OF CONDUCTING THE TRIAL. The monitors evaluated the general status of observance of ethical norms and communication culture both by the court and the trial participants as impeccable in 79% of criminal cases. In 96% of cases the judge did not allow rudeness, tactlessness, contempt to the participants of the trial, and demonstrated impeccable conduct. The judge did not make any discriminatory comments and actions. In 92% of cases the judge did not get distracted from the hearing and listened to the parties attentively. However, there were opposite examples – usually when the case was heard by a panel. From the questionnaire of a monitor on a criminal case: “One of the judges fell asleep during the hearing”. In 93% of cases the participants of the criminal trial observed ethical norms and due communication culture. CULTURE OF CONDUCTING THE TRIAL IN CRIMINAL CASES 4,2 -5 0 5 REASONABLE TIME According to the assessment of the monitors, the court used efficient actions to encourage the parties to settle in 75% of those cases where it was necessary. In 23% of cases the court hearing started on time or with a delay of up to 5 minutes. From the questionnaire of a monitor on a criminal case: “The beginning of the hearing was almost 2 hours late. During that time the parties first waited in the corridor (for an hour and a half) and then in the courtroom (another half an hour), while the judge stayed in his office and attended to other cases”. SPECIFICS OF CONSIDERATION OF CRIMINAL CASES In addition, the monitors identified specific features of the criminal proceedings. Inter alia, it was established that the judges seldom read out their rights to the participants of criminal proceedings. In 20% of cases the Report on the findings of the first trial monitoring programme in Ukraine 49