Florida's Judicial Qualifications Commission: Holding Judges Accountable

Florida's official nickname is "The Sunshine State" because of its warm weather throughout the year, but to those who work with Florida's government, it is considered "The Sunshine State" because of the public's access to Florida's branches of government. Any citizen can simply make a public records request to obtain information about almost any activity of Florida's government. This access to information includes Florida's judiciary and certain disciplinary actions. In fact, cases of judicial misconduct where probable cause has been found and formal charges filed are published on the website of the Supreme Court of Florida. 

Created in 1966 by amendment of the Florida Constitution, the Judicial Qualifications Commission ("JQC") is an independent state agency tasked with investigating allegations of misconduct and disability by all judges within the state of Florida. 

Building on the Doha Declaration, Kyoto Declaration carries crime prevention further

A year later than originally planned, because of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the 14th Crime Congress was held this week in Kyoto, Japan under strict health and safety standards, allowing for fruitful discussions between 5,600 participants, most of whom joined virtually through a dedicated platform. Held every five years, the Congress is the world's largest gathering focusing on crime prevention, criminal justice, and rule of law matters, issues on which Governments and institutions worldwide agree will necessitate ever stronger cooperation and partnerships.  For the Doha Declaration Global Programme, the Congress was the occasion to showcase the positive results of an active promotion of rule of law around the world, having emerged from the 13th Crime Congress.

Promoting holistic youth crime prevention: The use of sport and sport-based learning to reach at-risk youth

Sport-based learning has become a part of most educational systems around the world, but it is also increasingly recognized as an essential component of crime prevention, especially for at-risk youth. When sports activities are paired with life skills training, as they are in UNODC's Line Up, Live Up initiative, they become a unique tool to affect social change and development.

Line Up, Live Up is an innovative method, on both the physical and intellectual levels, to train youngsters to stay away from trouble while developing resilience. With this evidence-based curriculum that uses sports and life skills, UNODC has focused on engaging youth from marginalized and at-risk communities, promoting sports while inculcating and strengthening positive life skills and values which can help young people better navigate daily challenges in life. It contributes to improving young people's personal and social skills, to affecting their attitudes and beliefs with regards to violence, crime and drug use, and to enhancing their self-motivation, self-confidence and feelings of self-worth.