NCJ Number
107961
Date Published
1984
Length
30 pages
Annotation
Discussions during the Interregional Preparatory Meeting for the Seventh United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders considered the implementation of existing criminal justice standards and the adoption of new standards and norms.
Abstract
The difficulties in implementing existing standards were discussed with reference to political instability and the current world economic situation. Measures for the more effective implementation of rules for the treatment of prisoners and the code of conduct for law enforcement officials were identified. Draft guidelines on the independence of the judiciary, alternatives to imprisonment, social resettlement of offenders, prisoners' rights, and the independence of lawyers and prosecutors also were discussed. Issues related to the limitation and abolition of capital punishment also were considered, and mechanisms for protecting the rights of those facing the death penalty were proposed. Also examined was the problem of dealing with extralegal arbitrary and summary executions. The complementarity of the United Nations crime prevention program and the protection of human rights was discussed. Finally, the role and scope of international cooperation at the regional and global level in the promotion of standards and norms were delineated. Appendixes contain the draft resolution on the independence of the judiciary and lists of documents and participants.