The article is dedicated to the study of features of the initial stage of activities of court and other persons in privately and publicly prosecuted criminal cases. The author substantiates the mechanism of prevention of violation of applicants' rights by redirecting their applications to other authorities unrelated to criminal proceedings. It is suggested to expand the list of constituent elements of crimes subject to private and public criminal prosecution.

The article is devoted to a comparative legal study of the procedure for initiating pre-trial proceedings in criminal cases under Russian legislation and the laws of a number of foreign states. The conclusion about the expediency of preserving this stage in the domestic criminal procedure legislation with the simultaneous expansion of the rights and legitimate interests of persons involved in the relevant legal relations is substantiated.