Legal nature of procedural periods in criminal proceedings

The article considers various views on legal nature of procedural periods in criminal proceedings. It is thoroughly studied the view on procedural periods as one of a temporary means in legal regulation of criminal proceedings; distinction between procedural periods and length in criminal proceedings is shown. The notion of procedural periods as a guarantee of justice and human rights, as an element of a criminal procedure form and as a mechanism of procedural regulation is analyzed. Compliance with procedural periods is considered to be a criterion of criminal proceedings efficiency.