NCJ Number
233596
Date Published
August 2010
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This report explores the application of the Organized Crime Convention to protect against trafficking in cultural property.
Abstract
The findings conclude that the Organized Crime Convention is a relevant and useful instrument to enhance the criminal justice response against trafficking in cultural property, and that its criminal provisions are directly related and applicable to the protection of cultural property. Findings show that the Convention could also be applied to a wider range of offenses, including trafficking in cultural property and other related offenses. The Convention provides a broad framework for enhancing the incipient law enforcement and judicial cooperation since specialized multi-disciplinary pools of experts can significantly contribute to increasing the effectiveness of investigation and prosecution efforts. Sections described in detail include: the international legal framework for the protection of cultural property which discusses the means of prohibiting and preventing the illicit import, export, and transfer of ownership of cultural property; trafficking in cultural property and transnational organized crime, and the challenges in the protection of cultural property; and the application of the organized crime convention to the protection of cultural property which discusses the scope and purpose of the Organized Crime Convention as an instrument of investigation and prosecution.