CONFERENCES

Since its inception, the International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law has given high priority to the organization of conferences, workshops and symposia on a wide range of topics consistent with its aims and purposes. What follows is a list of the various international meetings held, their topics, and locations.

Reform of the Criminal Law
The Inns of Court, London, England
July 1987

The organizational conference has already been described.

Reform of Sentencing, Parole, and Early Release
The Parliament Buildings, Ottawa, Canada
August 1988

Two hundred delegates from five continents participated. The conference considered the principles and objectives underlying sentencing and issues of judicial discretion, as well as controversies related to issues of early release, victim compensation, and the influence of media and public opinion.

Police Powers and Citizens' Rights
Opera House, Sydney, Australia
March 1989

This conference examined several issues dealing with the police and the range of powers they possess. Sessions examined the extent to which police action can control crime and discussed a range of problems in dealing with relations between police and the community.

Criminal Code Reform
Washington, D.C., USA
January 1990

Recent events in Canada, the UK, USA, France, New Zealand, Australia, and other countries made this a very relevant topic. The current state of law reform in various countries was discussed, as well as suggesting the range of just, effective, efficient, and economical elements that should be incorporated into such reform.

Equality in the Administration of Criminal Justice: Gender, Race, and Class
Assembly Chamber and Parliament House, Edinburgh, Scotland
August 1990

The fifth Society conference critically examined the incidence and sources of inequality in the administration of criminal justice in the jurisdictions of Society members.

Reform of Evidence
Vancouver, Canada
August 1992

The examination of this topic included various theories of proof, a comparative analysis of the theories of criminal evidence of different jurisdictions, cross-cultural perspectives on the proof process, and legal and constitutional considerations relating to the proof process.

100 Years of Criminal Codes
Ottawa, Canada
June 1993

This conference focused on the development of the criminal law in many jurisdictions in the 100 years since Stephen's criminal code was first adopted in Canada in 1893.

The Corporation and the Criminal Law - Victim and Violator
Hong Kong
December 1994

This conference comprehensively examined all aspects of the interaction of the criminal law and the modern corporation, from the intersection of the corresponding legal theories to the actual application of the criminal law to corporations.

The Media and the Criminal Justice System: Fair Trial vs. Free Press: an International Perspective
Santa Monica, California, USA
December 1995

The relationship of the media and the criminal justice system in many jurisdictions was considered with an examination of media influence on public policy, trial processes and investigations, among other issues.

Challenges to Criminal Justice in a Changing World
Whistler, British Columbia, Canada
August 1996

Three topics were examined at this conference: sentencing and corrections issues from an international perspective; the independence of judges and lawyers and the role of the judiciary and lawyers in implementing international human rights standards; and a follow-up of discussions initiated at the 1994 Hong Kong conference relating to the prevention, detection and prosecution of commercial crime.

Law & Justice: Where Now? - 10th Anniversary Conference
Inns of Court, London, England
July 1997

This conference explored: new approaches to the problem of youth crime; police investigative powers, the development of an international criminal court; and the role of national criminal justice systems in the battle against international organized crime.

Drugs, Criminal Justice and Social Policy: New Alternatives for an Old Problem
Sherbourne Conference Centre, Bridgetown, Barbados
August 1998

This conference examined the many issues involved in illegal drug use including the problems and responses of different jurisdictions, anti-corruption measures and actions to identify and seize proceeds of drug crimes. The conference also studied the alternative approaches to combating the problem from an economic perspective as well as the health, social and criminal justice policy choices that have arisen from the relationship between injection drug use and HIV/AIDS.

Commercial & Financial Fraud: A Comparative Perspective
St. Julian's Malta
July 1999

A comparative approach to the consideration of fraud in the fields of insurance, securities, banking, and others as well as national and international responses to these issues focused on current developments worldwide.

Human Rights & the Administration of Criminal Justice
Sandton, South Africa
December, 2000

This conference examined the development of the protection of human rights internationally and the influence of these developments on the national criminal justice systems in various jurisdictions and also examined the international response to human rights crimes, and current developments international criminal courts.

Politics, Crime and Criminal Justice
Canberra, Australia
August, 2001

This conference explored the inter-relationship of politics and criminal justice systems at local, national and international levels including international treaties, programs and cooperative measures adopted to combat corruption internationally; the inter-relationship of police, prosecutor and judiciary in the criminal justice system; media influences upon the development of criminal law, justice policy and the administration of the criminal justice system; the state of Law Reform Commissions; and a study of the situation in East Timor, with insights from and comparisons to other international initiatives to restore justice systems in areas of civil strife.

Technology and its Effects on Criminal Responsibility,
Security, and Criminal Justice
Charleston, SC, USA
December, 2002

The conference addressed the rapid advances of science and technology in the many different arenas related to crime and the enforcement and administration of the criminal law: new technological crime and security threats, which in turn have given rise to new technologies to combat these threats and other mechanisms to ensure a cooperative response by law enforcement and justice systems around the world; the use and admissibility of scientific evidence; the newest approaches and methods in the use of technology to improve the criminal justice system.  The use of technology by government and the appropriate balance between liberty and security was also debated both generally and in the context of discussing the abrogation of civil liberties and to what extent this is justified to counter terrorist threats.

Convergence of Criminal Justice Systems:
Building Bridges, Bridging the Gap
Den Haag, Netherlands
August, 2003

This conference provided a forum for the study of the differing approaches to international criminal justice systems, a comparative analysis of criminal law and its processes in the common and civil law, as well as a glimpse at the criminal justice systems of non-Western legal cultures.

Keeping Justice Systems Just and Accountable: A Principled Approach in Challenging Times
Montreal, Qc, Canada
August, 2004

This conference examined current challenges to national criminal justice systems and the developing international criminal justice system, and how these systems can become and then remain just and fair by adhering to established principles, norms and standards, including constitutional requirements.