Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice

Accelerating Justice

We support Member States in building fair, effective, and rights-based criminal justice systems. This includes strengthening case management, improving access to justice, supporting victims and witnesses, and promoting investigative standards and police reform. Our work also advances legislative improvements and innovative approaches to reduce backlogs and enhance accountability.

Prison and Penal Reform

We promote alternatives to incarceration and work to reduce the overuse of pre-trial detention. Our efforts focus on improving prison conditions in line with international standards, addressing challenges such as radicalization and organized crime in prisons, and fostering rehabilitation and reintegration to prevent reoffending. We also advance compliance with the Mandela Rules and Bangkok Rules and support gender-sensitive approaches.

Preventing and Responding to Crime and Violence: Children, Women and Communities

We help communities build resilience against crime and violence, with a strong focus on protecting children and women. Our initiatives include preventing violence against children, supporting juvenile justice, addressing gender-based violence, and empowering youth as agents of change. Through innovative prevention strategies, we aim to create safer, more inclusive societies.

SPARK: The UNODC Learning and Innovation Programme

Aimed at criminal justice professionals, SPARK offers numerous self-paced eLearning modules and other digital training tools. To further boost accessibility, the SPARK app is also available, where users can download training content, including over 800 courses, for offline use, ensuring that learning continues even where connectivity does not.

Global Strategies to promote Equal Access to Justice

The event, hosted by Brazil with the support of the government of Canada, brought together experts nominated by Member States from around the world to share information on challenges, lessons learned, best practices and enabling factors needed to enhance the functioning of criminal justice systems to ensure equal access to justice for all. The recommendations adopted at the meeting will be included in a report to the 34th session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. These recommendations aim to guide Member States and stakeholders in their efforts to implement Resolution 78/227 and ensure no one is left behind. They will also inform the regional preparatory meetings of the 15th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. Find out more

Nelson Mandela Rules & Bangkok Rules Anniversaries

2025 marks the anniversaries of two essential sets of UN standards on offender management: the 10th anniversary of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules) and the 15th anniversary of the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders – known as the Bangkok Rules. While the challenges facing the world’s prisons are great, there is growing momentum for reform. UNODC is working with more than 50 Member States on initiatives to reform prison and penal systems from sites of punishment and incapacitation to justice and rehabilitation. Here are ten stories from prisons that show the power of effective penal reform to change lives. Find out more

Strategy to End Violence against Children OSRSG-VAC & UNODC

This Strategy to End Violence against Children stems from the dedication of both the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children (OSRSG-VAC) and UNODC to supporting Member States in their efforts to end violence against children. Increasing children’s safety and well-being is an ambitious goal. Combining the strengths and ensuring the complementarity of the mandates of the SRSG-VAC and UNODC, this Strategy proposes a trajectory for mainstreaming and guiding the work on child protection in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice. At its core, it focuses on tackling serious forms of violence against children, which directly undermine complete respect for, fulfilment and protection of child rights. Read the Strategy

United Nations

Office on Drugs and Crime