The issue of the absence of a comprehensive representation of all segments of society in the institutional
police framework is one of the most important problems contributing to the lack of trust in the police force
and their inability to understand the particularity of all groups. Therefore, the likelihood of violations
occurring against the non-represented minorities increases.
Yet, the biggest challenge the criminal justice system faces on police level in numerous countries of the
world is the possibility of eluding punishment and the lack of accountability for perpetrators of violations,
who are part of the police [forces]. In many criminal justice systems, we find members of the police
committing an offense or violating human rights standards being held accountable by (if it happens at all)
non-independent and not impartial special judicial bodies, guaranteeing their escape from punishment. This
opens the door to easily abuse the use of power and exploit it in an illegal way by members of the security
[forces], which reflects negatively on the extent of the general trust people have [in regards] to the police
agencies, and opens the door to corruption and bullying towards some groups and not other.
The issue of only rarely or not being able to use modern criminological methods to collect evidence, survey
and investigation during the police[-lead] phase, is one of the reasons, which lead to an increase of the
prospect of them resorting to violence to get information.
Third le ve l: Acce ss to justice
The main challenge in this matter is the presence of a legislative, regulatory and administrative
environment, which guarantees all members of society and classes the opportunity to reach the justice
system, the ability to persist and deal with the process of the justice system, as well as guaranteeing the
lack of discrimination and the exposure to any kind of offense, abuse and violence, and ensuring the
sensitivity of the justice system towards the needs of all groups, which pass through it.
[The issue] raised yesterday in many of the interventions in regards to the exposure of women in general,
and women belonging to minorities in particular, to harassment, sexual, physical and verbal violence while
passing through the justice system as victims, culprits, witnesses, or companions for someone in their
family, clearly indicates that the problem is not only being able to reach the justice system, but that there is
another responsibility that rests with the state and the law enforcement institutions, which is the need to
empower these groups to deal with the criminal justice system in a form that respects the dignity and the
particularity of these groups, so that the experience is not in itself a burden.
Often women are reluctant to go to police stations to file a complaint in connection to the numerous
violations they face in order to avoid the experience of going through the justice system, something which
extends to minorities.
Fourth le ve l: stage of de te ntion
Most of the world’s prisons suffer from the phenomenon of overcrowding. The average percentage of
prison overcrowding in the region of the Middle East and North Africa for example is between 150-160%.
The phenomenon of overcrowding directly affect the rights of the detained people, as overcrowding raises