Abstract
The article analyzes the concept of the mechanism of a criminal offense as a subject of criminology through the prism of its emergence and historical development. The purpose of the study is to determine the constituent elements of the mechanism of a criminal offense and the regular connections between them. The methodological basis was formed by general scientific and special research methods (systemicstructural, formal-logical, historical, comparative-legal, etc.). Scientific sources related to the subject of the study, investigative and judicial and expert practice were analyzed. It is noted that in the historical aspect, the problem of the mechanism of criminal activity was subjected to research in which the term “mechanism of crime” was used. It is noted that criminology, when studying criminal activity, focuses on its functional side as a system of deterministic actions that are reflected in the environment. The mechanism of a criminal offense is presented as a chain of elements in their interrelation: “the person of the criminal offender – the subject of the offense, the victim – the place, time and circumstances of the commission – the method of commission – The traces of the criminal offense”. The scientific novelty lies in determining the regularities of the mechanism of a criminal offense – the connections and dependencies between the characteristics of the subject and the subject of the offense chosen by him, the person of the victim, the situation, the method and the corresponding traces. The conclusions note that the accumulated knowledge about the mechanism of a certain type of criminal offense is reflected in its forensic characteristics. These provisions are used in a separate criminal proceeding according to the scheme in the reverse direction: “traces of the criminal offense – the place, time and circumstances of the commission – the subject of the offense, the victim – the method of commission – the person of the criminal offender”. Thus, the final result of the investigator’s mental activity using the specified knowledge should be the establishment of the identity of the criminal offender and his guilt.
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