The Centre disseminates UNICRI publications, provides information on the Institute scope of activities, offers worldwide experts a resource for the development and implementation of technical interventions and research, supports training activities.
Click here to access the UNICRI Publications list and related full-text.
Through the IPPW Directory you can find the address of relevant Institutions dedicated to Probation.
The IPPW on-line publications offers a collection of specialized data and documents from public and private institutions (in Word and/or PDF formats) as well as links to specialized libraries and documentation centres.
The Documentation/Information Centre produces the Bibliography on Trafficking in Human Beings, the Bibliography on Organized Crime and Corruption and the Bibliography on Environmental Crimes.
The documents are available in hard copy and may be consulted at the Institute. The databases enable many of the documents to be consulted via the relevant electronic link as well.
The Centre also produces the UNICRI Bibliography series that includes a selection of publications acquired by the UNICRI Library.
Through its major online library, with more than 19.000 monographs, 1.250 journals and yearbooks, tens of thousands documents by the United Nations System, the Centre is an asset to research, training and field activities.
The rich collections of print and electronic resources are continuously updated and expanded to ensure access to the latest data, research and analysis.
Click here to consult the UNICRI Libray catalogue.
Since its establishment in 1969, the Documentation Centre has built a comprehensive collection of data to contribute to the global sharing of criminal justice information and to assist the international community in formulating and implementing improved policies on crime and justice.
The activities of the Centre include the collection, analysis and dissemination of legislative, statistical and bibliographic documents that form the library holdings.
The Library holds more than 20.000 monographs, 1.250 journals and yearbooks, tens of thousands documents by the United Nations System, other international and regional organizations, national institutions and NGOs, multimedia material, grey literature on crime prevention and criminal justice issues.
The Centre offers on-line access to all its services, such as the library catalogue and criminological thesaurus, electronic resources, bibliographies, directories, tables of contents, full-text articles and publications, abstracts of monographs and personalized alerts targeted to the needs of its users.
The UNICRI Library is part of a strong network of United Nations and UN system libraries, that share expertise, best practices and resources, and cooperate to ensure the best quality of products and services for their users.
The Centre offers worldwide experts a resource for the development and implementation of technical interventions and research, supports training activities, produces and disseminates UNICRI publications, provides information on the Institute mandate, scope of activities, past and current programmes.
In 2000, while UNICRI HQs moved to Turin, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and FAO to keep a UNICRI Liaison Office in Rome.
The UNICRI Liaison Office in Rome became operational from 1 May 2000. Since January 2004, following an agreement with the UN Department of Public Information and the Italian Government, the UNICRI Liaison Office in Rome also backstops the Brussels-based UN Regional Information Centre for Europe (UNRIC).
The UNICRI Liaison Office promotes UN objectives and activities at national level, in constant coordination with Brussels. To this end, the Office supports UNRIC in the relations with public and private institutions, the civil society and the media.
The UNICRI Rome Office is open to the public for the consultation of UN documents and information materials, including most recent releases.
The Liaison Office also closely collaborates with SIOI (Italian U.N. Association) in the organization of events, seminars and press conferences.
UNICRI is constantly expanding its activities in the field of post-graduate education, offering a wide range of on-campus and decentralised training to provide for a variety of professional needs. UNICRI’s work draws on an extensive network with high level universities and research institutions around the world.
Along with a series of post-graduate short-courses on topics which fall within the scope of UNICRI’s mandate on crime prevention and criminal justice.
UNICRI provides sustainable and tailored capacity-building support to Member States, partners, and communities, with the objective of strengthening institutions and civil society. Rooted in an evidence-based and interdisciplinary approach, these efforts enhance national and local capacities in the areas of crime prevention, justice, and security.
Drawing on a broad network of experts and strategic partners, the Institute delivers both rapid-response training to address urgent needs and longer-term support to build resilience and lasting competence. This dual approach enables flexible, context-specific interventions that are responsive to evolving priorities and threats.
UNICRI offers a wide portfolio of educational and capacity-building programmes for criminal justice practitioners, law enforcement officials, policymakers, and post-graduate students. These include:
– tailored and specialised training courses;
– simulation-based exercises and Training of Trainers (TTT);
– workshops at national, regional, and international levels;
– Master’s programmes, hybrid learning opportunities, and e-learning modules.
Over the years, UNICRI has strengthened its training capabilities by developing national and regional curricula, modular content, and manuals for both trainers and trainees. Pilot courses have targeted law enforcement officers, prosecutors, judges, and social workers, covering both foundational and advanced topics relevant to their professional roles.
UNICRI’s thematic areas reflect the complexity of today’s security landscape and the need for specialised, forward-looking responses. Its capacity-building activities address:
– justice reform;
– anti-corruption and asset recovery;
– the responsible use of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies;
– mitigation of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) risks;
– cybercrime and cybersecurity, including online child abuse;
– counter-terrorism and violent extremism;
– the nexus between organised crime and terrorism;
– community-level resilience and the protection of vulnerable groups, including migrants;
– trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants;
– crimes against the environment and illicit exploitation of natural resources;
– protection of cultural heritage;
– counterfeiting and the trafficking of cultural goods;
– reform of penitentiary systems, including crisis management, probation, and green and digital prisons.
UNICRI’s models are participatory, practice-oriented, and adapted to local realities. Training initiatives are co-designed with stakeholders, grounded in real-world scenarios, and aimed at delivering scalable, impact-driven solutions.
Working in close collaboration with Member States, UN entities, nationa, regional and international organisations, civil society, academia, and the private sector, UNICRI fosters integrated, multi-stakeholder ecosystems. These partnerships promote shared ownership, strengthen institutional coordination, and improve cross-border cooperation, while reducing duplication and optimising the cost-effectiveness of interventions.
As a trusted provider of technical assistance, training, and policy guidance, UNICRI contributes to the development of effective, evidence-based strategies that support justice, enhance institutional resilience, and advance peace, security, and development.
UNICRI is currently expanding areas of cooperation in the Global South to encompass a range of training and educational activities at the post-graduate and professional level with the purpose of strengthening the capacity of the criminal justice system and the rule of law. UNICRI’s training expertise and ability to design courses, elaborate manuals and provide instruction, serve as means of reinforcing the legal field in developing countries.
2009-2010 marked the beginning of UNICRI assistance to the Lao PDR where UNICRI established a strong cooperation with the national Government in the field of capacity building and training for judicial personnel.
UNICRI is part of the UNDAF Action Plan 2012-2015 in the country and has also cooperated in the design of the Legal Sector Master Plan in line with the “One UN” approach.
