Basic elements of access to criminal justice: creating a categorical scheme

The right of access to criminal justice is an essential feature of any democratic society and its implementation depends on what is considered by its content. The problem of access to criminal justice is widely known to Russian criminal procedure and researchers distinguish many elements in its content, therefore it is necessary to highlight the most significant of them. The article analyzes the positions of scientists about the content of access to criminal justice and, using categorical and system methodology offers a logical scheme demonstrating its essential aspects and connections between them. The logical scheme of access to criminal justice helps reflect its main elements: 1) guaranteed appeal of individuals to law enforcement agencies and the court, legal assistance, execution of the court decision; 2) informing individuals about their rights, ways to protect them, and the course of the case; 3) minimization of legal procedure, court terms, and legal costs. The developed scheme is a categorical apparatus for further comprehensive research of the subject area, in particular, the mechanism of access of citizens to criminal justice.