General and special theories of the criminal process are considered. It is determined that the bases of the construction of the criminal process of Ukraine are the principles of competitiveness, the rule of law, and legality. Criminal procedural repressions are established based on fulfilling the tasks of the process, namely ensuring the rights, freedoms and interests of each participant. Repressions are limited by the procedure and procedural form of the process; they do not allow the use of nonprocedural forms, methods, pressure from the side of the prosecution during the pre-trial investigation. Theoretical approaches to defining the tasks and purpose of the criminal process are analyzed. It has been proven that the role of the court, as one of the participants, is to establish the truth. As a representative of the state, only the judge has the right to pronounce a verdict based on the results of the trial.