Review

The structural functionalism is one of macro-sociological theories concerned with the society, civilization, that is a big social system with internal structure and interlinkages between structural elements. Criminal proceeding is one of the social subset, which has a criminal procedural activity of an investigative officer as its constitutive element. The latter type of human activity also has its own structure, composed of relevant elements that interrelate with each other. Thus, the study of the theory of structural functionalism as methodological background for the research of criminal procedural activity of an investigative officer is topical. However, scholars have conducted researches on general aspects of the theory of the structural functionalism, but they never concentrated on the study of this theory as a methodological background for the research on criminal procedural activity of an investigative officer.

It is mentioned, that the function is commonly understood as one’s activity in the society that facilitates the existence of this society. In case the element in its functioning facilitates the existence of the society, it adapts to the structure of the society.

If criminal proceeding is understood as a subset of the society, then its sociological function is an integration of the society, its normal functioning. But if criminal proceeding is considered as some “micro-society”, then each subject to the criminal proceeding has to perform activities, that facilitate criminal proceeding in general and, as a result, contribute to comfortable co-existence of this subject with other subjects of criminal proceeding. As a result, an investigative officer, by performing a criminal procedural function, has to facilitate performance of tasks of criminal procedure as a whole. Otherwise, such investigating officer impairs “functioning” of the entire system of criminal proceeding and, without any doubt, is a superfluous figure, that in the course of his activity is not capable to adapt oneself as one of the composing elements of the bodies, responsible for the administration of justice.

It is concluded, that understanding of the criminal proceeding as a specific structure of subjects with systemic interconnections and performed functions, allows to apply the sociological theory of the structural functionalism as methodological background for scientific research. An application of general-theoretical sociological inferences on the functioning of social structures, their subjects, structural interconnections, functions, social ambivalence, disfunctions etc. during research allows to discover position of an investigative officer in the system of criminal proceeding, his internal and external interactions in criminal proceeding. Just as legal norms affect people`s behaviour by regulating legal relations, so general rules of social relations are reflected in the legal regulation of criminal procedural activity of an investigative officer.

It is assumed, that further work on the topic of scientific methodology of conducting research on procedural activities of an investigative officer is possible in accordance with the following directions: 1) research of other aspects of the theory of structural functionalism as methodological background for the research on criminal procedural activity of an investigative officer; 2) definition of other methodological foundations of investigative activity.

Keywords: the structural functionalism, function, disfunction, structure, criminal procedural activity, investigation, investigative officer.