Spasovich V.D. is the author of the first criminal law textbook in the Russian Empire. The progressive criminal law ideas formulated by the author provoked indignation in reactionary circles. By the decision of the special commission of the III division, the textbook was excluded from the educational process, and its author was forbidden to carry out teaching activities. For a long time Spasovich was not mentioned among the representatives of the brilliant galaxy of pre-revolutionary forensic scientists. Only in recent years, his works have been reprinted and are gradually entering the scientific circulation. The purpose of this paper is to study the Spasovich’s criminal law ideas and to determine the contribution of the jurist to the science of Russian criminal law. The authors conclude that the Spasovich’s ideas laid the foundations for the formation of a classical school of criminal law in the Russian Empire. The jurist carried out a deep theoretical development of the problems associated with the corpus delicti, the goals and measure of punishment, free will, and statutes of limitations. In his writings, Spasovich substantiated the fundamental principles of criminal law science: legality, equality, justice, commensurability of crime and punishment, respect for the dignity of the individual, the value of human rights and freedoms.