The Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) is a functional committee of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and is the principal body of the United Nations concerning transnational crime and criminal justice. In the early 1990s, the UN developed a greater interest in criminal justice policy, leading to a recommendation for the creation of the CCPCJ by the UN General Assembly. Its predecessor, the Committee on Crime Prevention and Control, was dissolved with the intent of intensifying “international cooperation in crime prevention and criminal justice” and increasing coordination between existing UN agencies. Therefore, in 1992, the ECOSOC established the CCPCJ as a commission of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) with the passage of Resolution 1992/1. The commission is composed of 40 member states, with terms of three years and quotas for each region of the world to ensure broad discussion and cooperation. Resolution 1992/22 further defined the priorities of the CCPCJ, including: “To plan, implement and evaluate crime prevention and criminal justice assistance projects and to serve as a facilitating agent…with which to assist countries in preventing crime, promoting security, sustaining national development and enhancing justice and respect for human rights.” With such a guideline, the CCPCJ has adopted thematic discussions ranging from money laundering to crime prevention in urban areas.

The United Nations System Common Position on Incarceration challenges UN member states to evaluate the current state of incarceration and reconsider the purpose of imprisoning criminals. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, prisoners are increasingly suffering from overcrowding, abuse and neglect, and persecution of marginalized people. A United Nations resolution titled “Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners” states that prisoners should be treated as human beings, with respect and dignity afforded to each person. However, countless reports by the UN and NGOs continue to uncover major human rights violations in prisons around the world. It is increasingly evident that in many cases, prisons are not rehabilitating criminals, but rather removing people from society and neglecting them. In this committee, delegates will debate how to improve prison conditions, create preventive measures against further human rights abuses, and develop systems of accountability.

The internet has brought about a revolution in the way people communicate and relate with one another. It is a global platform that has allowed for the connection of people in an entirely unprecedented fashion. The internet has also become a dangerous tool for criminal organizations to recruit new members. Almost all organized crime relies at least partially on the internet for a variety of activities, and the web has allowed armed groups to reach much wider audiences. Since the turn of the twenty-first century, terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda have begun to develop complex strategies to reach people through online magazines and social media. Today, drug cartels have been found to recruit young members in online video games. Impressionable young minds and disaffected youth are particularly susceptible to this recruitment. To prevent more people from falling victim to predatory recruitment practices, all countries must establish proper frameworks to prevent and counter online recruitment. If future acts of organized crime and terrorism are to be prevented, it is of the utmost importance to cut off these organizations at the sources of their power and influence and to ensure that the internet is used for the betterment of all mankind.