The work of UNODC in crime prevention and criminal justice reform is guided by the UN standards and norms on crime prevention and criminal justice. The UN standards and norms are sets of rules, principles, and guidelines relating to different aspects of criminal justice, such as responding to violence against women, protecting the rights of children, and prison reform. Most of the UN standards and norms are adopted through General Assembly or Economic and Social Council resolutions.
The Compendium of UN standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice is available for download in
Arabic,
English, and
French.
Crime prevention and criminal justice strategies must be gender-responsive, human rights compliant and respect the rule of law. Acting as the custodian of the UN standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice, which promote and protect
human rights in the administration of justice, UNODC assists Member States in reforming their criminal justice systems in order to be effective, fair and humane for the entire population.
