Model United Nations topics
Crime prevention and criminal justice reform
Strengthening the rule of law relies on the prevention of crime and the promotion of fair, humane and accountable criminal justice systems.
Crime prevention comprises strategies and measures that seek to reduce the risk of crimes occurring, and their potential harmful effects on individuals and society, including fear of crime, by intervening to influence their multiple causes.
The criminal justice system encompasses the work of the police, prosecution and judiciary with regard to criminal matters, as well as the access to legal aid, prison reform and alternatives to imprisonment and restorative justice. It also includes cross-cutting issues, such as gender, human rights and the considerations for victims and children within the criminal justice system.
How crime prevention and criminal justice reform is linked to the SDGs
This area is directly linked to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which unequivocally establishes the link between rule of law, justice, and sustainable development.
Specifically, criminal justice and the rule of law are at the core of SDG 16, though other Goals also address these issues, such as SDG 5 and its specific target on violence against women (target 5.2).
Model United Nations help students learn about the criminal justice systems, especially the difference in their principles in different countries and how United Nations standards and rules for criminal justice and crime prevention can be applied by Member States.
Suggested topics for a Model United Nations conference and related Sustainable Development Goals
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Violence against children | |
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Violence and poverty |
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Discrimination in the criminal justice system | |
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Relations between police and young people | |
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Access to health care in prisons |
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Access to education in prisons |
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Rehabilitation of prisoners |
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Alternatives to imprisonment | |
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Gender and the criminal justice system |
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Measures to prevent violence against women |
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Access to legal aid and pre-trial detention |
Resources on crime prevention and criminal justice reform