21 May 1986

16th plenary meeting

Crime prevention and criminal justice in the context of development

The Economic and Social Council,

Having considered the report of the Committee on Crime Prevention and Control concerning crime prevention and criminal justice in the context of development,

Recalling its resolution 1984/48 of 25 May 1984 on crime prevention and criminal justice in the context of development,

Taking into account resolution 9, on the development of crime and criminal justice information and statistical systems, adopted by the Seventh United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders,

Emphasizing again the importance of the collection and analysis of crime-related data at the national and international levels as a basis for informed decision-making with regard to crime prevention and the effective and fair administration of justice,

Noting with appreciation the progress made by the Secretary-General in the establishment of a United Nations crime-related data base,

Recognizing the need to increase the response rate of Member States to the periodical surveys of crime-related data so as to broaden the understanding of crime, its prevention and the operations of criminal justice systems throughout the world,

1. Recommends that the questionnaire for the next United Nations Survey of Crime Trends, Operations of Criminal Justice Systems and Crime Prevention Strategies should be abbreviated and simplified, to the extent practicable without materially reducing its scope and utility, so as to increase the response rate from Member States;

2. Invites the United Nations regional institutes for the prevention of crime and the treatment of offenders to encourage and assist Member States in their regions in completing the next Survey and to render such assistance as requested by the Secretariat in the analysis and publication of the data, within existing resources;

3. Recommends further that the work of the next Survey should include the collection and analysis of data and of information and recommendations concerning the national use of information systems in crime prevention and the administration of justice in Member States;

4. Requests the Secretary-General to strengthen, as far as possible within existing resources, the capacity of the Secretariat to collect and analyse action-oriented recommendations on crime prevention and the administration of criminal justice, as well as crime data.