In December 1991 the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution entitled "Creation of an Effective United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Program." That resolution sought to consolidate and restructure a program in international cooperation in the criminal justice area that had existed from the early days of the United Nations. In particular, the resolution provided for the creation of a new intergovernmental body to oversee the program, the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.

This book, by Roger S. Clark, examines the UN program and its prospects under the arrangements devised by the General Assembly. Clark concisely recounts its history and its activities, describes the adoption of the various United Nations norms and standards that originated within the program, provides a detailed consideration of some of the major instruments adopted under the auspices of the program, and examines efforts to progress from the promulgation of standards and norms to their monitoring and implementation.