Sustainable development needs to be based on the rule of law and on access to justice, so that everybody, including the marginalised, can benefit.
The number of people behind bars, whether on remand or serving sentences, has increased in most countries over the last 20 years, placing an enormous financial burden on governments and at great cost to the social cohesion of societies. In many countries, criminal justice systems are unfair and discriminatory. Instead of protecting society from crime and safeguarding the rights of those accused or convicted, they can cause, drive and deepen poverty, and hinder social and economic progress.
In September 2015, the international community agreed a new set of development goals, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, comprising 17 goals and 169 targets, to replace and build on the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs, 2000-2015).
PRI seeks to raise awareness about the interrelations between criminal justice, the rule of law and development, and advocated for the rule of law to be included in the post-2015 development agenda.
Read Criminal Justice and the SDGs – a short outline of how justice and prison reform underpins the achievement of goals set out in the 2030 Agenda.
Useful links
High-level General Assembly Thematic Debate on “Integrating Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in the Post-2015 Development Agenda”, February 2015. PRI’s Executive Director, Alison Hannah, participated in the debate. See her blog here.
On drug policy and sustainable development, see also:
UNGASS on Drugs: on expectations, coherence and sustainable development
Health Poverty Action: briefing on Drug policy and the SDGs