Restoration of Criminal Cases (Article 158.1 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation): Anachronism or Necessity?

In the paper, the author touches upon the issues of the loss of a criminal case data or its individual materials. These include the problems of the lack of legal regulation of many aspects as to the restoration of materials of a criminal case, such as the terms of restoration, the limits of restoration, the procedure for the restoration of materials of a criminal case. In this regard, the author analyzes some practical difficulties related to this institution application. The author examines the moment of the emergence and development of this institution, the need for it in the light of today’s realities, analyzes, among other things, foreign experience in the use of digital document management and substantiates the anachronism of the entire procedure currently available for the restoration of a criminal case or its materials. Summing up the results of the scientific research, the author argues for the need to switch to electronic document management for the conduct of a criminal case, the use of modern technologies and processes in criminal proceedings. Important and interesting are the author’s proposals for improving the existing mechanisms.