Next August, between 600 and 700 prosecutors from all over the world will gather in Washington, DC, for the eighth annual world conference of the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP). (See “NDAA to Co-Host International Conference of Prosecutors”.)
NDAA will co-host the 2003 conference, along with the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of State and the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG). President Dan Alsobrooks has appointed President-elect Bob McCulloch as NDAA chair for the conference.
This will be the first time the conference has taken place in the United States. Previous conferences have been held in Budapest (1996), Ottawa (1997), Dublin (1998), Beijing (1999), Cape Town (2000), Sydney (2001) and this year, London.
In an earlier and what we nostalgically might call a normal time, American prosecutors might consider this just another conference and, because of its international character, of passing interest to them. But as we all know, times have changed. These are not normal times and we don’t know when, and if, in our lifetimes we will see what we might call “normal times” again. September 11, 2001, changed all that.
In addition to the overriding problem of terrorism, we all face other transnational problems such as extradition, immigration, drug trafficking and cyber crime. Crime, in short, has gone global and affects the smallest jurisdictions as well as the largest. Therefore, it is becoming essential that we familiarize ourselves with the criminal justice systems of other nations, that other nations become familiar with our system and that where possible, we develop the ability to “network” with our counterparts abroad.
The IAP provides this opportunity.
The IAP was established in the United Nations offices in Vienna, Austria, on June 6, 1995, and held its first world conference in Budapest in September 1996.
This “first and only world organization of prosecutors” describes itself as a non-governmental and non-political organization. Its members now number well over 1,000 present and former prosecutors, and 75 prosecutors’ organizations representing more than 300,000 prosecutors in 90 nations.
IAP’s objectives are:
- The effective, fair, impartial and efficient prosecution of criminal offenses;
- High standards and principles in the administration of criminal justice in support of the rule of law;
- Enhancement of those standards and principles generally recognized internationally as necessary for proper and independent prosecution;
- Assistance to prosecutors internationally in the fight against organized and other serious crime;
- International cooperation in gathering and providing evidence, tracking, seizing and forfeiting the proceeds of crime, prosecuting fugitive criminals;
- Measures for the elimination of official corruption;
- The professional interests and role of prosecutors and good relations internationally;
- The exchange and dissemination among prosecutors of information, expertise and experience and to encourage the use of information technology;
- The study of comparative criminal law and procedure and to assist in justice reform;
- Cooperation with other organizations to further these objectives.
All worthy objectives, but the key is in the interpretation and execution. There are many philosophical and administrative differences between the American criminal justice system and criminal systems abroad. The death sentence is one contentious issue. Extradition is another. The IAP offers us the opportunity to “get inside the tent” and discuss these and other issues, face to face, with our counterparts from around the globe.
That is why NDAA participates. NDAA presidents, beginning with John Kaye (1996-1997) and his successors, Bill Murphy, John Justice, Stu VanMeveren, Bob Johnson, Kevin Meenan and Dan Alsobrooks, our current president, have attended the annual IAP world conferences, representing this association and the interests of America’s prosecutors. John Kaye is a member of IAP’s Executive Committee. This places him in the center of the policy-making level of IAP and enables him to familiarize his international colleagues with the American criminal justice system, as well as to alert us to potential problems in international cooperation.
Bill Murphy, who has attended several IAP world conferences, says that prosecutors in the rest of the world are learning, through NDAA participation in IAP, that the American prosecution system is a unique entity. Murphy added that it is very important “as people on the international scene start thinking about making world policy, that in the United States, local authorities have a powerful role in making criminal justice policy and that the more NDAA representatives emphasize this at IAP conferences, the better off we are.”
Bob Johnson, a firm believer in establishing international contacts, says, “It’s important in a growing world relationship for justice and world cooperation that we participate.”
John Kaye, who has a front-row seat at IAP’s leadership deliberations, paraphrases a familiar political philosophy, declaring that it’s better to be “inside the tent,” learning what our international counterparts are thinking, than “outside the tent,” wondering what’s going on, and not even knowing the players.
This is why NDAA is a member of IAP and co-host of the 2003 world conference in Washington, DC, and why all American prosecutors have a stake in what IAP does.
