Development and implementation of mediation and restorative justice measures in criminal justice

Recognizes that, while a significant number of minor offences jeopardize citizens' security and comfort, traditional criminal justice mechanisms do not always provide an appropriate and timely response to those phenomena; stresses that an important means of settlement of minor disputes and offences can be represented by mediation and restorative justice measures; emphasizes that mediation and restorative justice measures, where appropriate, can lead to satisfaction for victims as well as to the prevention of future illicit behaviour; welcomes the development in many countries of experience in mediation and restorative justice in the field of criminal justice; calls upon States to consider the development of procedures to serve as alternatives to formal criminal justice proceedings and to formulate mediation and restorative justice policies; calls upon interested States, international organizations and other entities to exchange information and experience on mediation and restorative justice; requests the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice to examine ways and means of facilitating an effective exchange of information concerning national experience; recommends to the Commission that it consider the desirability of formulating UN standards in the field of mediation and restorative justice; requests the Secretary-General to undertake activities to assist Member States in developing mediation and restorative justice policies and to facilitate the exchange at the regional and international levels of experience on the issues of mediation and restorative justice.

Adopted without vote, 43rd meeting

In: Resolutions and decisions of the Economic and Social Council, organizational session for 1999, New York, 20 Jan. and 2-5 Feb. 1999; resumed organizational session for 1999, New York, 25 March, 6 and 7 May and 23 June 1999; substantive session of 1999, Geneva, 5-30 July 1999; resumed substantive session of 1999, New York, 16 Sept., 26 Oct., 15 Nov. and 16 Dec. 1999 - E/1999/99 - p. 51-52 - (ESCOR, 1999, Suppl. no. 1).