Evolution of Classification Approaches to Other Documents as Evidence: From Traditional Criteria to Digital Challenges

The study examines the evolution of classification approaches to other documents as evidence in Russian criminal procedural doctrine. The aim of the study is to analyze the historical development of classification criteria for documentary evidence. Three historical stages in the development of classification criteria are identified: the classical period (formal-legal criterion of officiality), the functional period (criteria of subject composition and functional purpose), and the technological period (criteria of information recording methods with emphasis on digital documents). It is emphasized that each new stage in the evolution of classification approaches is determined by qualitative changes in the methods of creating and using documentary information in evidence. Particular attention is paid to the fact that the digitalization of criminal proceedings creates fundamental challenges for all existing classification approaches: it problematizes the criterion of officiality under conditions of automatic document generation by information systems, blurs the boundaries of functional categories when using hybrid digital documents, and calls into question the possibility of classification by fixation method in the context of digital format convergence. A concept of multi-level classification of other documents is proposed, combining traditional criteria with technological parameters of digital documents through a system of matrix description of documentary evidence. The necessity of introducing an additional classification criterion of technological complexity in obtaining and verifying documents is substantiated, determining differentiated procedural requirements for ensuring their admissibility in the digital era.