Abstract
The article examines the genesis, evolution and current state of the institution of plea bargaining in criminal proceedings in Ukraine, identifies key stages of its formation and implementation in the national legal system. The theoretical and legal nature of criminal plea bargaining as a form of compromise justice is revealed, and its place at the junction of substantive and procedural law is established. Through the prism of a systematic analysis of the norms of the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure of Ukraine, inter-branch conflicts, gaps and imbalances between public and private interests are identified when concluding plea bargaining and plea agreements. Particular attention is paid to the assessment of administrative and legal instruments of state influence on the effectiveness of this institution, as well as the compliance of the national model of contractual procedures with EU standards and the practice of the ECHR. Based on the analysis of the problems of law enforcement practice (voluntariness, fairness of conditions and limits of judicial control) and the study of foreign experience in the application of plea bargaining, an adaptation model of the “Europeanization” of the domestic criminal process is developed. Specific proposals have been formulated to improve legislative regulation and optimize administrative procedures in order to increase the transparency and efficiency of the institution of agreements in Ukraine.
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