Scientific Journal of the National Academy of Internal Affairs

The purpose of the article isto give ways of solving problems of legal regulation of the use of special knowledge, skills and abilities in criminal proceedings. Methodology. The methodological toolkit is chosen taking into account the purpose, the specifics of the object and the subject of the study. Its basis is general dialectical method of scientific cognition of real phenomena and also their connections with practical activity of the bodies of pre-trial investigation and the court. Special methods of research, used in the article, are: the method of systematic analysis (used for the study of legal norms regulating the usage of special knowledge in criminal proceeding, and, also, scientific sources); systematic-structural – to determine the content of the studied categories and legal phenomena, the formation of a conceptual-categorical apparatus; logical-legal (or dogmatic) – to be used in the process of developing a conceptual apparatus and scientific regulations; modelling – to design constructions of legal norms that will establish the usage of special knowledge in criminal proceeding. The scientific novelty consists of: improving the theoretical understanding of the content of special knowledge, skills and abilities’ usage in criminal proceeding; grounding the expediency of usage of the term “special competences” in legal science and law-making practice; making suggestions as to the system’s changes and additions to the current CPC (Criminal Prosecution Code) of Ukraine, connected with the usage of special competencies. Conclusions. The term “special knowledge” which is used in the current CPC of Ukraine should be replaced into the term “special competence”. Special competencies are combinations of professional knowledge, skills and abilities, necessary for solving specific issues within the framework of criminal proceedings, for the persons engaged in achieving these aims on the grounds, established by the criminal procedural legislation. The usage of special competencies in criminal proceeding is differentiated, depending on the status of their subject (carrier), into such one, which is carried out by an expert and the other, performed by a specialist. In this case, an interpreter (sign language interpreter), a teacher, a psychologist, a doctor should be considered as a special kind of a specialist (separately established by law). The above given fact should be clearly defined by law. The functions and peculiarities of such specialists’ authorities should be separately determined. Besides, criminal procedural law should clearly regulate the procedural order of a specialist’s engagement into the execution of criminal proceeding’s tasks. The provisions of this law, which anticipate the involvement of a specialist into certain procedural actions, his participation in them or his presence during their execution (without a clear definition of tasks), should be specified by formulating such tasks