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Abstract
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VioLit summary:
OBJECTIVE:
The purpose of this paper by Clark was to examine the work of the United Nations Committee on Crime Prevention and Control and to increase awareness and visibility of the Committee.
METHODOLOGY:
This paper represented a non-experimental explanatory study, conducted by a member of the United Nations Economic and Social Council's Committee on Crime Prevention and Control. The author examined the role of the Committee, and some of the progress it has made in recent years.
FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:
The author began with an examination of the history of the Committee. The Committee on Crime Prevention and Control grew out of the 1950 resolution to form a board of experts in the area of prevention of crime and treatment of offenders. In 1965 this ad hoc board evolved into the Advisory Committee of Experts on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, and in 1971 the Economic and Social Council renamed the group the Committee on Crime Prevention and Control. The primary functions of the Committee were: 1) to prepare the United Nations crime congresses to consider more effective treatment and prevention methods; 2) to submit proposals for international programs of crime prevention; 3) to help coordinate the United Nations' activities in the area of crime prevention; 4) to promote international exchanges of information about crime prevention; and 5) to discuss issues of professional interest as a basis for international efforts in the field of crime prevention. The Committee on Crime Prevention and Control has formulated a number of major documents to further its mission. The Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, approved in final form in 1957, deals with issues of maintaining prisoners in a fair, healthy and safe environment whilst institutionalized. The 1975 Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Being Subjected to Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment condemns such behavior as a violation of the right to human dignity and fundamental freedom. The Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials was approved in 1979, and the Principle of Medical Ethics in 1982. The basic notion of these codes is that officials must respect the law as well as basic human rights, with use of force only in extreme situations. After the Sixth United Nations Congress in 1980, the Caracas Declaration was approved. This stipulation represents an emphasis upon the economic, social and cultural aspects of human rights. Its basic premise is that strategies for crime prevention should be based not only in the legal system, but also in the context of economic development, political systems and social and cultural factors, with an aim of improving social conditions and quality of life to reduce criminal activity. The 1984 Standards Guaranteeing Protection of the Rights of Those Facing the Death Penalty provides that the penalty be imposed only in the most serious cases, excluding those under the age of 18, pregnant women, new mothers or the clinically insane. Proof of guilt must be clear and convincing, with no room for doubt, and the punishment should inflict the minimum possible suffering. The 1985 Congress formulated a number of new documents. The Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice provides for the protection of the basic civil liberties of offenders, as well as stipulating an emphasis upon noninstitutional treatment and training programs to facilitate rehabilitation. The Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power provides for access to treatment and to the various health, psychological and social services necessary for recovery. The Domestic Violence Resolution stresses the need for more sensitive treatment of victims, training of officials dealing with incidents of domestic violence, provision of temporary shelters and other services for victims, and the initiation of prevention programs such as education and training in non-violent conflict resolution tactics. The Milan Plan of Action emphasizes economic, social and cultural rights. It assumes that crime is a problem of international dimensions, that can stand in the way of the political, economic, social and cultural development of peoples, as well as threaten human rights and peace, stability and security within nations. The Plan advocates further research and prevention programs, the eradication of illicit drug use and organized crime, information exchange and reassessment of legal systems to reflect current socioeconomic conditions. Also endorsed at the Congress were the Model Agreement on the Transfer of Foreign Prisoners and its counterpart, the Recommendations on the Treatment of Foreign Prisoners, which suggest that foreign prisoners be allowed to serve their sentences within their country of residence. The final document formulated at the 1985 Congress was the Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary, which stresses the independent nature of the judiciary and the obligations of other institutions to respect it. The author concluded that the challenge to the Committee in its efforts to implement its resolutions is one of maintaining its professional integrity.
EVALUATION:
This paper provides an interesting insight of the vital work of the United Nations Committee on Crime Prevention and Control. The examination of the extension of the domain of the Committee into areas of economic, social and cultural rights represents an important basis for the development of crime prevention strategies across the world. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)
KW - Crime Effects
KW - Crime Prevention
KW - Policy Recommendations
KW - Prevention Recommendations
KW - Treatment Recommendations
KW - Adult Crime
KW - Juvenile Crime
KW - Socioeconomic Factors
KW - Sociocultural Factors
KW - Foreign Countries
KW - Cross-Cultural
KW - Cross-National
KW - International |