Deputy Maxim Dzhetyghenov has put forward a proposal to introduce collective responsibility in schools. Direct quote: “Collective responsibility means not only that one classmate’s offence leads to the punishment of the whole group. It is also a great platform for developing humane competencies.”
The idea is as old as the world: one person misbehaves — the whole class is punished. The human motive is understandable — trying to build cohesion through shared pressure. But the moment you open a law textbook, the picture looks rather different.
Why responsibility is about “I”, not “we”
A foundational principle of law: every person is answerable only for their own actions. You cannot punish your neighbour because you crossed the road on a red light. In law, guilt is always individual.
Violation of the presumption of innocence. Punishing a group for one person’s act automatically declares guilty those who did nothing wrong. This breaks the basic logic of justice.
An educational dead end. Instead of teaching a child to be accountable for their own behaviour, you teach them to fear “letting the crowd down” — or, worse, to resent the classmate whose actions brought punishment on everyone.
Collective responsibility equals collective irresponsibility
Law and sociology share an old truth: where everyone is responsible, no one is. When guilt is spread across thirty pupils, the actual wrongdoer feels shielded. There is no incentive to change — “everyone got punished anyway.” Instead of a healthy environment, you produce a performance: teachers act as if they are educating, children act as if they are sorry, and the problem retreats underground to surface later as bullying.
Conclusion: collective punishment breeds resentment, not discipline
Proposing collective punishment in schools is an admission of inability to build a working system of individual mediation and conflict resolution.
Collective responsibility does not create discipline. It creates resentment and a breeding ground for behaviour problems.
Justice should be precise, like a scalpel — not sweeping, like a sledgehammer. That is true in court, in management, and in a school classroom.