the same time had to carry out the orders of the unified central union People's Commissariat of Justice of the Soviet Union. In 1946, the People's Commissariat of Justice of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic was transformed into the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. Functions of the People's Commissariat The People's Commissariat of Justice was entrusted with the following tasks: Organization and instructing the bodies of the court, investigation, defense (advocacy) and prosecution (prosecutor's office), as well as monitoring the activities of the commission on juvenile affairs; Consideration, in the order of the highest judicial review, court decisions and sentences that have entered into legal force, the provision of guidance and instructions to the judicial authorities and supervision of legality (the People's Commissar is simultaneously the Prosecutor of the Republic); Preliminary consideration of bills, publication, and interpretation of laws; Development of general penalties, organization of a corrective labor regime for persons deprived of their liberty both by court verdicts and by way of a preliminary investigation, as well as managing places of deprivation of liberty; Leading and supervising the implementation of the separation of the church from the state (a liquidation department was created in the People's Commissariat that was engaged in the destruction of the Russian Orthodox Church). Execution of punishments On April 15, 1919, the decree "On Forced Labor Camps" was issued in the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic. From the very beginning of the existence of Soviet power, the management of most places of detention was entrusted to the department for the execution of punishments of the People's Commissariat of Justice of the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, formed in May 1918. Heads of the People's Commissariat On November 8, 1917, Georgy Oppokov was appointed People's Commissar of Justice, he was replaced by Pyotr Stuchka, then Isaac Steinberg. On June 16, 1918, Pyotr Stuchka was appointed People's Commissar of Justice. In August 1918, after the departure of Peter Stuchka (who headed the Soviet government of Latvia from the end of 1918), Dmitry Kursky was appointed People's Commissar of Justice, who held this post until 1928. The next People's Commissar was Nikolai Yanson, who was replaced in 1931 by Nikolay Krylenko, who held the post until July 1936. The People's Commissar of Justice of the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic was at the same time the Prosecutor of the Russian Socialist Federative