The Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) a functional commission of the
United Nations Economic and Social Council
The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC; french: links=no, Conseil économique et social des Nations unies, ) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields ...
(ECOSOC) based in Vienna. The commission serves as the primary organ that guides the activities of the United Nations in the fields of crime prevention and criminal justice.
The commission meets annually for a regular session in Vienna in May. It also meets for a reconvened session towards the end of the year, mainly to discuss budgetary matters and matters concerning the operation of the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme. Since 2011, the commission and the
UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs
The Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) is one of the functional commissions of the United Nations' Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and is the central drug policy-making body within the United Nations System. The CND also has important man ...
have held joint meetings during the reconvened session.
History
The United Nation's participation in the field of criminal justice and crime prevention can be traced back to its predecessor, the
League of Nations
The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...
. However, this participation was limited to a Child Welfare Bureau that focused mainly on the issue of
juvenile delinquency
Juvenile delinquency, also known as juvenile offending, is the act of participating in unlawful behavior as a minor or individual younger than the statutory age of majority. In the United States of America, a juvenile delinquent is a person ...
, and which worked closely with the
International Penal and Penitentiary Commission (IPPC). This was because Member States saw crime prevention and criminal justice as internal matters and were hesitant to relinquish their sovereignty to an international body.
After World War II, and the creation of the UN, many interest groups tried to incorporate their work into the new UN system through the establishment of
specialized agencies
United Nations Specialized Agencies are autonomous organizations working with the United Nations and each other through the co-ordinating machinery of the United Nations Economic and Social Council at the intergovernmental level, and through th ...
. The IPPC was among these interest groups and sought to pass off its work on criminal justice and crime prevention to a new UN agency. However, the UN was hesitant to get involved with the IPPC's work without having complete control and with no overlap with the IPPC itself, and Members States were hesitant as they still saw criminal justice as an internal matter. Eventually, it was agreed that the Social Affairs Division of the
UN Secretariat
The United Nations Secretariat (french: link=no, Secrétariat des Nations unies) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), The secretariat is the UN's executive arm. The secretariat has an important role in setting the a ...
would work on the issues on juvenile delinquency, probation and parole, while avoiding law enforcement or law and order.
However, the Economic and Social Council foresaw that eventually the UN would have a bigger role in criminal justice and crime prevention and in 1948 requested that the
Secretary-General
Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...
convene a seven-member International Group of Experts on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders in order to advise the Secretary-General and the
Social Commission on policies and programs relating to the problem of the prevention of crime and the treatment of offenders, as well as international action in these fields.
This Group met twice, in 1949 and 1950, before being replaced by a more permanent Ad Hoc Advisory Committee of Experts on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders which continued its functions. This Ad Hoc Committee was created by the
General Assembly
A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company.
Specific examples of general assembly include:
Churches
* General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...
when it approved a plan to transfer the functions of the IPPC to the UN. The Plan also included provisions for the transfer of the IPPC's library and archives to the UN Library in Geneva, the creation of consultative groups which met biennially to discuss the topics of the prevention of crime and the treatment of prisoners and the continuation of the quinquennial
Crime Congress. After its functions were transferred, the IPPC ceased to exist was replaced by the International Penal and Penitentiary Foundation (IPPF).
In 1965 the UN assigned Thorsten Erikkson, the Chair of the 1963 meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee, to review the organization's work in the field of social defense. In his report, Erikkson made three suggestions: to create a Social Defence Trust Fund, to establish the UN Social Defence Research Institute (the predecessor to the
UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute) and to reorganize the Ad Hoc Committee by making it a permanent Committee under ECOSOC and by expanding its membership to 10. The resolution that reorganized the Committee renamed it the Advisory Committee of Experts on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders and also requested that the Secretary-General create a funds-in-trust account to strengthen the capacity of the UN to carry on its responsibilities in social defense.
In 1971 after the Fourth UN Crime Congress, ECOSOC reformed the Advisory Committee. Among the changes, it was renamed the Committee on Crime Prevention and Control and its membership was increase to 15. The resolution that created the committee also requested that the Secretary-General involve the
regional commissions more closely in the field of crime prevention. In 1979 the committee was further enlarged to 27 members, with its seats being distributed amongst the
UN Regional Groups
The United Nations Regional Groups are the geopolitical regional groups of member states of the United Nations. Originally, the UN member states were unofficially organized into five groups as an informal means of sharing the distribution of posts ...
to ensure geographic representation. Additionally, the committee was also entrusted with the following functions: preparing the UN Crime Congresses, preparing programs for international cooperation in crime prevention, assisting ECOSOC in coordinating the actives of UN bodies in regard to crime prevention, promoting the exchange of ideas in the field of crime prevention amongst Member States and discussing major issues in the field of crime prevention.
In 1992 the committee was once again reformed into the body that can be seen today, the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. It was re-created as a functional commission of ECOSOC at the recommendation of the General Assembly. Its membership was increased to 40 to be distributed on the basis of equitable geographic distribution, with members serving staggered three-year terms. In 2006, the commission's mandate was amended in order to allow it to act as the governing body of the
UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), as well as to approve the budget of the UN Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Fund.
Mandate
The mandate of the commission was outlined by ECOSOC, at the request of the General Assembly, in 1992. In this resolution the commission was designated as the principal policymaking body of the U.N. in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice. Its other main functions include:
* Providing policy guidance to U.N. organizations and Member States in the fields of crime prevention and criminal justice,
* Developing, monitoring reviewing the implementation of the U.N.'s crime program
* Acting as the governing body of the UNODC
* Coordinating the activities of the U.N. Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme Network (PNI)
* Mobilizing support amongst Members States for the U.N.'s program on crime prevention
* Acting as the preparatory and implementing body and of the quinquennial U.N. Congresses on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
Shift in the UN's crime program
The focus and work of the commission, and its predecessors, has changed much over time. The focus of early U.N. bodies dealing with crime and crime prevention was somewhat narrow, as Member States viewed these areas as falling under their jurisdiction. Thus, the work of these bodies was limited to studying juvenile delinquency, correctional treatment and criminal statistics.
However, as the U.N.'s membership began to grow in the 1950s and 60s, its new Member States began to advocate for a shift in the U.N.'s criminal justice program to include links between
post-colonialism
Postcolonialism is the critical academic study of the cultural, political and economic legacy of colonialism and imperialism, focusing on the impact of human control and exploitation of colonized people and their lands. More specifically, it is ...
,
underdevelopment
Underdevelopment, in the context of international development, reflects a broad condition or phenomena defined and critiqued by theorists in fields such as economics, development studies, and postcolonial studies. Used primarily to distinguish sta ...
and crime. Thus, the work of the U.N. in crime prevention and criminal justice shifted from a
soft law
The term ''soft law'' refers to quasi-legal instruments (like recommendations or guidelines) which do not have any legally binding force, or whose binding force is somewhat weaker than the binding force of traditional law. Soft law is often contras ...
perspective of collecting and sharing data, research into crime and the development of international standards to a more
hard law
{{Use mdy dates, date=January 2019
Hard law refers to actual binding legal instruments and laws. In contrast with soft law, hard law gives States and international actors actual binding responsibilities as well as rights. The term is common in in ...
perspective of international conventions and treaties. This shift was, in part, precipitated by the growth of
transnational and
organized crime
Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...
,
terrorism
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
,
human trafficking
Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. This may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the extrac ...
and
money laundering
Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source. It is a crime in many jurisdictions ...
, which required a more action-driven U.N. crime program, which played a part in the adoption of the
United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime
The United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC, also called the Palermo Convention) is a 2000 United Nations-sponsored multilateral treaty against transnational organized crime.
History
The convention was adopted by a r ...
and the
U.N. Convention against Corruption.
Another change in the U.N.'s crime program is the shift from expert-driven bodies to state-driven bodies. Early groups and committees were filed by experts in criminal justice who served in their own capacity. However, as the crime program grew and the issues it worked on became more complex, these experts were replaced by state-appointed agents who represented the interests of Member States and acted on their behalf. This led to a shift in seeing crime as a social issue, with a focus on prevention, juvenile delinquency, restorative justice and victim issues, to a national security issue, with an increased focus on criminalization, police powers and the operation of the criminal justice system.
Further change to the U.N.'s crime program came in 2015 when the General Assembly adopted the
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked objectives designed to serve as a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future".United Nations (2017) R ...
. The 2030 Agenda succeeded the
Millennium Development Goals
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were eight international development goals for the year 2015 that had been established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000, following the adoption of the United Nations Millenniu ...
and is composed of 17 interconnected targets to aim to measure
sustainable development
Sustainable development is an organizing principle for meeting human development goals while also sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services on which the economy and society depend. The des ...
across the U.N.'s Member States, as well as address the complex challenges that the global community faces. One of these goals,
Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, integrated the U.N.'s crime program with parts of other goals. In regard to criminal justice and crime prevention, the goal specifically calls for:
* The promotion of the rule of law at the national and international levels to ensure equal access to justice for all
* A significant reduction of illicit financial and arms flows, the strengthening of the recovery and return of stolen assets and the combat of all forms of organized crime
* A substantial reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms
Thus, the goal links the U.N.'s crime program to issues ranging from gender equality, the sustainability of communities, poverty reduction and health and well-being, to name a few. This linkage aims to demonstrate that sustainable development can lead to a reduction in crime, as well as how crime can negatively impact development. For example, Target 5.2 aims to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls in order to achieve gender equality, Target 15.7 aims take action to end poaching and trafficking of protected species in order to protect life on land and Target 8.7 aims to eradicate forced labour, as well as put an end to modern slavery, human trafficking and child labor in order to promote economic growth.
Membership
The commission comprises 40 member states elected by the Economic and Social Council distributed amongst the various regional groups: 12 for African states, 9 for Asian states, 8 for Latin American and Caribbean states, 4 for Eastern European states and 7 for Western European and other states. Members are elected in overlapping three-year terms. The current members are as follows:
Bureau
The commission elects a bureau for each of its sessions composed of a chairperson, three vice-chairpersons and one rapporteur. For the 30th Session the Bureau is as follows:
Additionally the commission also has an Extended Bureau, which is composed of the Chairpersons of the five U.N. Regional Groups, the Chair of the
Group of 77 and China
The Group of 77 (G77) at the United Nations (UN) is a coalition of 134 developing countries, designed to promote its members' collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in the United Nations. There were 77 fou ...
, and the representative of the State holding the
Presidency of the European Council.
Crime Congress
As a remnant of the 1950 agreement between the UN and the IPPC, the commission is responsible for organizing and convening an international congress every five years, the purpose of which is to enable the exchange of information and best practices in the field of crime prevention and control. These congresses aim to promote more effective crime prevention policies and criminal justice systems in Member States.
These congresses have played an important role in reforming criminal justice policies and systems throughout the world. Some of the more prominent actions they have taken include:
At the first congress in 1955, the
Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners
The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners were adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 17 December 2015 after a five-year revision process. They are known as the Mandela Rules in honor of the former Sout ...
were adopted and sent to ECOSOC, which would later approve them. These rules are considered the universally acknowledged minimum standards for the treatment of prisoners across the world to this day.
The 1980 congress passed a resolution calling for reform in the administration of juvenile justice, which would eventually lead to the UN creating the
in 1985. The 1985 congress also recommended the adoption of the
, which stated that victims of crime should be treated with compassion and respect for their dignity, as well as access to the mechanisms of justice and to prompt redress for the harm that they suffered. The General Assembly adopted the Declaration in November 1985.
The 1985 congress also resulted in the Milan Plan of Action, which stated that the problem of crime was an issue of global concern, hampering political, economic, social and cultural development across the world. It also stated that the UN should, as a universal public forum, play a larger role in multilateral cooperation to tackle the issues of terrorism, illicit drug trafficking and organized crime. This Plan of Action was one of the first of its kind calling for international action to combat crime.
References
External links
*
* Records o
the International Penal and Penitentiary Commission (1872-1955)at the United Nations Archives
{{ECOSOC
United Nations Economic and Social Council
Organizations established in 1992