The increase of crime at the national, transnational, and international levels has heightened concern in the international community and generated greater interest in international criminal justice policy. Since the 1950s, the United Nations has been developing the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme, which was designed to respond to these concerns. But United Nations resources and support for the programme have been limited, notwithstanding the services and contributions of the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Branch.
As the United Nations celebrates its Fiftieth Anniversary, it is fitting to have a book that describes the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme. The information it contains highlights the significant contributions of a number of organizations, whose work may not be sufficiently known outside the circles of scholars, experts, and professionals in the field of international criminal justice. The book is thus also a deserving tribute to these organizations, giving greater publicity to what they have contributed over the years with scant United Nations recognition. Without these organizations and the active NGOs, the United Nations would hardly have leave to claim part of what is now an important, though still insufficient, contribution to international criminal justice.