Non-Procedural Activities in Criminal Proceedings

This article analyzes the activities of investigators, inquiry officers, heads of investigative bodies, and courts within the framework of pre-trial proceedings, but outside the regulatory framework of criminal procedural law. Through a comprehensive analysis of modern law enforcement practice, the author identifies and systematizes the essential characteristics of so-called non-procedural activities. One of the key conclusions of the study is the thesis on the inadmissibility of making authoritarian procedural decisions, as well as committing any actions not expressly provided for by the procedural rules of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation. The final section of the paper highlights the scientific and practical problem associated with the existence of gaps in the legal regulation of the procedure for considering appeals submitted in the form of electronic documents. The position on the urgent need to improve relevant law enforcement practices and introduce specific amendments to current legislation is argued.