Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Reform Resources

Access to Legal Aid

Legal framework:

United Nations Principles and Guidelines on Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Justice Systems (General Assembly resolution 67/187, annex, of 20 December 2012) English, Arabic, French, Chinese, Russian, Spanish

Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers (adopted by the Eighth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, Havana, Cuba, 27 August to 7 September 1990

Access to Legal Aid: United Nations Resolutions

Practical Guidance

Guidance note on Ensuring Access to Justice in the Context of COVID-19 (with UNDP) English
Handbook on Ensuring Quality of Legal Aid Services in Criminal Justice Processes: Practical Guidance and Promising Practices Arabic, English, French, Russian, Spanish NEW!
Handbook on Early access to legal aid in criminal justice processes (with UNDP) English, Vietnamese, Chinese
Model Law on Legal Aid in Criminal Justice Systems with Commentaries English
Training Tool on Legal Aid for Women in Criminal Justice Systems in Liberia, Senegal, and Sierra Leone English, French NEW!
Child Friendly Legal Aid in Africa (UNICEF, UNDP, UNODC) English, French
Handbook on Access to Legal Aid in Africa English
Education for Justice - University Module Series – Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Proceedings (Module 3)
Access to Legal Aid for Women in Criminal Justice Systems (English - Interactive version)
Access to Legal Aid for Women in Criminal Justice Systems (English - mobile-friendly version)
Access to Legal Aid for Women in Criminal Justice Systems (French - Interactive version)
Access to Legal Aid for Women in Criminal Justice Systems (French - mobile-friendly version)

Surveys and data:

UNDP/UNODC Global Study on Legal Aid:

Global Report English
Country Profiles English

Survey Report on Access to legal Aid in Africa English

Multimedia

Highlights from the Kyoto Crime Congress:

Equal Access to Justice for All - Find out more here. View the recording here

Highlights from the OHCHR Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law:

Equal access to justice for all: voices from around the world

Highlights from the 31st session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ)

Leaving No-One Behind – Ensuring Access to Justice for Women

Addressing Wrongful Convictions under National and International Law

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