U.S. Statement at the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice 25th Session

On behalf of the United States, I would like to thank the chair and members of the Bureau for the preparatory work for our discussions. I would also like to thank Director Fedotov and the Secretariat for organizing this meeting.

This week marks the 25^th anniversary of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. For twenty-five years, the Commission has been the leading UN policymaking body on criminal justice issues. The Commission’s role is as unique as it is flexible — both qualities are needed to deal with new and emerging threats.

For example, no threat captures the interests of the world more than terrorism. This scourge is both a crime and a complex security challenge. It thrives in environments where the rule of law is weak and government capacity is limited.

Under the Commission’s mandate, UNODC has helped Member States address terrorism and crime threats. The United States would like to recognize the Terrorism Prevention Branch for its outstanding work, including the training that helps governments counter foreign terrorist fighters and terrorist financing. We strongly support these efforts.

Our work with criminal justice systems tries to ensure justice for the victims and those accused of a crime. We believe this should also be true for crimes related to terrorism. As countries improve legal frameworks and enhance investigative and prosecutorial capacity to combat terrorism, inevitably there will be individuals charged with offenses and they will become a subject of our criminal justice systems. While we must ensure public safety, we must also respect the rights of the accused, provide fair trials, and prevent our prisons from becoming places of radicalization.

To further this conversation, my delegation hosted a side event on “Effective Alternatives to Pre-Trial Detention and Post-Trial Imprisonment in Terrorism-Related Cases” earlier today. There, we discussed new ideas for handling accused and convicted offenders before and after trials, and creative approaches to counter radicalization to violence and promote rehabilitation.

Just as terrorism is motivated by violent extremist ideology, another form of crime worthy of special focus within this Commission is crime motivated by hatred and intolerance. We addressed this last year at the Crime Congress in Doha, noting in particular violence motivated by bias against members of vulnerable groups. Perpetrators of these crimes target individuals based on fundamental traits such as religion, race, color, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity. We are pleased that the Commission selected this topic as its theme for 2019.

Tomorrow at 2:20 pm, the United States will host a side-event on “Countering Bias-Motivated Crime.” We invite you join this discussion to share effective practices to prevent, investigate, and prosecute hate crimes.

This week, we also look forward to discussing opportunities for the Commission to engage on new commitments under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as adopted by the General Assembly last September.

The 2030 Agenda was groundbreaking in many ways, including addressing the concept of access to justice and the development of effective and inclusive institutions – the first time a priority of the Crime Commission has been integrated into global development policy.

Therefore we have an obligation to consider how the Commission can support national experts in the area of access to justice. In this regard, the United States is proud to sponsor a resolution to promote access to criminal legal aid, building upon the past work of the Commission in this area, including through the Doha Declaration in 2015, and the UN Principles and Guidelines on Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Justice Systems in 2012.

This resolution would advance practical measures to help Member States “provide access to justice for all,” as described in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 16, and by facilitating collaboration between legal aid experts and providing assistance to countries establishing new legal aid systems. We ask for your support as we seek to translate the Commission’s technical expertise into new tools and resources for our national experts in this field.

The delegation of the United States looks forward to examining these and other important matters with you as part of a productive session this week.

Thank you very much.

Source: U.S Department of State

By

Robert Williams

Editor in Chief