Directly or indirectly, crime affects virtually all individuals, societies, and countries.
Wildlife trafficking may be disrupting your local ecosystem or hurting your livelihood. Corruption may be making it difficult for you to access the health, administrative or educational services you need. Organized crime or gang violence may have led to an increase in homicides in your country. Or perhaps your family member is one of the 3.7 million people being held worldwide in pre-trial detention.
At the same time, criminal justice systems across the world are overstretched – resulting in delayed court proceedings, increased impunity and a weakened rule of law.
52 people lost their lives to homicide globally every hour in 2021, according to UNODC’s Global Homicide Study. Meanwhile, the percentage of detected child victims of human trafficking increased 31 per cent in 2022 compared to 2019, with a 38 per cent rise recorded for girls. And 11.7 million people were in prison at the end of 2023.
Preventing crime and a functioning and fair justice system is crucial to ensure safety and security. When justice systems are unequal, inaccessible or malfunctioning, public trust erodes, opening the door for corruption and local and transnational organized crime to thrive.
Additionally, a focus on preventing crime, rather than solely responding to crime, can reduce burdens on law enforcement, justice systems, and prisons, saving time and resources. Addressing the root causes of crime can also strengthen communities and make it less likely that individuals resort to crime or violence.
UNODC serves as Secretariat to the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ, or Crime Commission), the UN’s main policymaking body addressing crime prevention and criminal justice issues.
UNODC also helps countries strengthen their ability to work together on operations aimed at finding and breaking up organized crime groups. It supports Member States to improve their investigations and prosecutions of organized crime and assistance to victims. It focuses on providing assistance within countries to address cybercrime and its connections to other serious crimes, including corruption, terrorist financing, and illegal financial activities.
Additionally, UNODC works with Member States to help reduce crime; ensure the operation of fair, effective, inclusive, transparent and accountable criminal justice institutions; and promote equal access to justice for all.
This includes penal reform – such as job training or literacy programmes for prisoners and ensuring their humane treatment – access to legal aid; providing guidance on victim assistance and policies; supporting alternatives to imprisonment; and more. UNODC also provides data, analysis, policy development and advice to Member States seeking to develop strategies or programmes to prevent crime.
