Function return statements in Python constitute a formal control flow mechanism that terminates the execution of a function scope and transfers ownership of a value or lack thereof to the caller. The core principle relies on the definition of return types, where the value is either a concrete data object, `None` for explicit non-returning void operations, or the default implicit `None` in the absence of a return expression. This concept resides within the subfield of programming language semantics, specifically addressing the mapping between computation results and the call stack's frame management during procedure invocation.
Prerequisite chain context: requires Python Function Invocation and Arguments.