On Some Problems of Using Special Knowledge in Investigating Crimes

The fight against crime is largely due to the use of special knowledge. Taking into account the fact that Russian legislation empowers the investigator to involve other participants with special knowledge at various stages of the criminal process, it seems necessary to note the relevance of the analysis in this context of the peculiarities of the functioning of experts and specialists. Modern investigative and judicial practice demonstrates the demand for a procedural form of using special knowledge, which is determined by criminal procedural legislation. However, at present, many questions arise regarding the effectiveness of the exclusively procedural interaction of these participants in the criminal process. The purpose of writing a research paper is to identify individual problems arising in the process of using special knowledge in the investigation of crimes. The author comes to the conclusion that, despite the demand for special knowledge at the present time, there is a problem of the lack of uniform approaches in the theoretical and legal development of this category, which significantly complicates the procedural practice in this area. The activity of specialists is highlighted as the most vulnerable area of using special knowledge in investigating crimes, which is due to the presence of a number of gaps in the regulation of their legal status as participants in criminal proceedings. Attention is focused on the need to improve not only the procedural form of using special knowledge, but also the development of reference and advisory assistance at various stages of the criminal process due to its significant potential for investigating crimes. The need to use special knowledge about information and digital technologies to improve the efficiency of the investigation of most modern crimes due to the prevalence of electronic information in the modern world is noted.

special knowledge, specialist, expert opinion, crime investigation, criminal procedure