THE PROCEDURAL STATUS OF A PSYCHOLOGIST IN JUVENILE CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS

The article examines the theoretical and legal issues of a psychologist’s participation in criminal proceedings involving minors. Based on a comprehensive analysis of the current criminal procedure legislation, the legal positions of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, scientific doctrine and statistical data from the  Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation on the state of juvenile crime in 2025, two key issues have been identified and systematized: the discrepancy between Russian criminal procedure legislation and international standards in terms of clearly defining the procedural status of a psychologist as an independent participant in criminal proceedings, which is caused by the lack of a legal definition of «psychologist» in the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation and the uncertainty of its qualification requirements; the confusion of functions with those of a teacher. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that a theoretical model of the procedural status of a psychologist as an independent participant in criminal proceedings is proposed.