Imbalance in the duality of criminal activity and its proving

   Objective: to verify and confirm (or refute) the hypothesis about the mismatch between the means of proof and the means of criminal activity in terms of strength and diversity, which causes imbalance in the dualism of criminal activity and its proving.

   Methods: in solving the research problem, we used, first of all, dualistic and hypothetical-deductive methods, as well as methods of functional systems, comparison and other general scientific methods.

   Results: criminal activity and its proving show the dualism of two complex functional systems, which are opposite, not reducible to each other, equal, but not equipollent. The lack of equipollency is manifested in the inconsistency of the means of proof with the means of criminal activity in terms of strength and diversity. On the one hand, the available means of proof are outdated and limited; on the other hand, they are used ineffectively when forming evidentiary systems of different levels. This leads to imbalance in the dualistic system. This is confirmed by systemic problems of reality – critically low disclosure rate, violation of the rights and freedoms of participants in criminal proceedings, low level of compensation for damages from crimes, protracted procedures of multi-volume criminal cases, etc.

   Scientific novelty: for the first time, the activity of proving is presented as a complex functional system, which together with criminal activity forms a dualism. In this dualistic system, an imbalance is found, consisting in the non-equipollent relationship between the two functional systems, where the means of proving are inferior to the means of criminal activity both in strength and in diversity. In this regard, the article attempts to reveal the mechanism of proving in order to determine how the two sides in the dualistic system can be balanced.

   Practical significance: the provisions laid down in the study can in the future act as a methodological basis for improving the means of proving and increasing the effectiveness of forming evidentiary systems of different levels.

1. Aleksandrova, I. A. (1998). Fashion and crime: Cand. Sci. (Law) thesis. Nizhny Novgorod. (In Russ.).

2. Amosov, N. M. (1969). Artificial intelligence. Kiev: Naukova Dumka. (In Russ.).

3. Anokhin, P. K. (1973). Principles of systemic organization of functions. Moscow: Nauka. (In Russ.).

4. Ashby, W. R. (1959). Introduction to cybernetics. Moscow: Foreign Literature Publishing House. (In Russ.).

5. Baitin, M. I. (2001). Essence of law (Modern normative interpretation of law at the verge of two centuries). Saratov: SGLA.

6. Belkin, R. S. (1970). Lenin’s theory of reflection and methodological problems of Soviet criminology. Moscow: Publishing House of the Higher School of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR. (In Russ.).

7. Belkin, R. S. (2001). Criminology: problems of today. Actual issues of the Russian criminology. Moscow: NORMA. (In Russ.).

8. Bentham, I. (1998). Introduction to the basics of morality and legislation. Moscow: Russian Political Encyclopedia (ROSSPEN). (In Russ.).

9. Boulding, K. (1969). General systems theory: the skeleton of science. In Research on general systems theory : collection of translations from Polish and English (pp. 106–124). Moscow: Progress. (In Russ.).

10. Demin, A. I. (2007). Paradigm of dualism: Space – time, information – energy. Moscow: LKI Publishing House. (In Russ.).

11. Durkheim, E. (1995). Sociology. Its object, method, and purpose (Transl. from French, compiled, foreword and comments by A. B. Gofman). Moscow: Canon. (In Russ.).

12. Durkheim, E. (2018). The elementary forms of the religious life: totemic system in Australia (transl. V. V. Zemskova; edited by D. Yu. Kurakin). Moscow: Elementary Forms. (In Russ.).

13. Epstein, M. N. (2001). A philosophy of the possible. St. Petersburg: Aletheia. (In Russ.).

14. Gubanishchev, V. V. (2009). Criminological analysis of the mechanism of criminal activity in economy : Cand. Sci. (Law) thesis. Nizhny Novgorod. (In Russ.).

15. Ignatov, A. N. (2020). Fighting crime: simulacra and simulations. Proceedings of Crimean Federal University named after V. I. Vernadskiy. Juridical Sciences, 6(1), 215–226. (In Russ.).

16. Kamenev, A. S. (2023). Performing the defense function by collecting and checking electronic evidences in criminal court procedures : Cand. Sci. (Law) thesis. Chelyabinsk. (In Russ.).

17. Kaminsky, M. K. (1977). Criminological characteristics of the activities of crime identification, detection and investigation. Legal and social-economic sciences and struggle against thefts of Socialist property. Works of Gorky Higher School of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs. 8(1). Gorky. (In Russ.).

18. Koldin, V. Ya. (1989). Typical models and algorithms of criminal investigation. Moscow: Moscow University Publishing House. (In Russ.).

19. Kolichenko, A. A. (2023). Problems of checking and assessing electronic evidences in modern criminal procedure : Cand. Sci. (Law) thesis. Nizhny Novgorod. (In Russ.).

20. Krepysheva, S. K. (2001). Forming a prognostic methodology of investigating crimes related to legalizing (laundering) criminal revenues : Cand. Sci. (Law) thesis. Nizhny Novgorod. (In Russ.).

21. Kudryavtsev, V. N. (1982). Legal behavior: norm an pathology. Moscow: Science. (In Russ.).

22. Lombroso, C. (2005). Criminal man. Saint Petersburg: Midgard. (In Russ.).

23. Lubin, A. F. (1997). Methodology of criminological investigation of the mechanism of criminal activity : Dr. Sci. (Law) thesis. Nizhny Novgorod. (In Russ.).

24. Mamchur, E. A., Ovchinnikov, N. F., & Uemov, A. I. (1989). Principle of simplicity and measure of complexity. Moscow: Science. (In Russ.).

25. Merton, R. (1968). Structural-functional analysis in modern sociology. Information Bulletin of SSA. Series: translations and abstracts, 6(1), 82–179. (In Russ.).

26. Obraztsov, V. A. (1997). Criminology. Moscow: Jurist. (In Russ.).

27. Parsons, T. (2018). The Social System. Moscow: Academic project. (In Russ.).

28. Pashayev, H. P.-oglu (2007). Social-philosophical analysis of correlation between norm-forming and criminal spheres of public life : abstract of Cand. Sci. (Philosophy) thesis. Barnaul. (In Russ.).

29. Povarov, G. N. (1972). То Daidalu Ptero (On cognition of scientific-technical progress). Systems research. Yearbook-1971. Moscow: Nauka. (In Russ.).

30. Raidugin, D. S. (2007). Philosophy of crime: social aspects : Cand. Sci. (Philosophy) thesis. Krasnodar. (In Russ.).

31. Rastrigin, L. A. (1981). Adaptation of complex systems. Riga: Zinatne. (In Russ.).

32. Sudakov, K. V. (1984). General theory of functional systems. Moscow: Meditsina. (In Russ.).

33. Televitskaya, Yu. A. (2023). Seizure of electronic carriers of information in criminal cases : Cand. Sci. (Law) thesis. Nizhny Novgorod. (In Russ.).

34. Vasyukov, V. F., & Afanasyev, A. Yu. (2024). On the issue of obtaining operationally significant information from open sources of information on the Internet. Legal Science and Practice: Bulletin of the Nizhny Novgorod Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, 1, 79–86. (In Russ.). doi: 10.36511/2078-5356-2024-1-79-86

35. Yakovleva, K. Yu. (2023). Using electronic information in criminal-procedural proving : Cand. Sci. (Law) thesis. Moscow. (In Russ.).

36. Zhuravlev, S. Yu. (2022). Methodological bases of improving methods of investing economic crimes : Dr. Sci. (Law) thesis. Nizhny Novgorod. (In Russ.).