The UN draft standard minimum rules for the protection of juveniles deprived of their liberty: A DCI briefing paper

Abstract

In April 1988 a group of experts meeting in Vienna under the auspices of the United Nations adopted the draft text of an instrument setting forth guidelines concerning the rights of children deprived of their freedom. Once approved, these guidelines should prove to be a valuable instrument in the hands of all those who are committed to the protection of the rights of the hundreds of thousands of children and adolescents found in correctional facilities throughout the world. This paper explains the legal context of this new draft instrument, provides an overview of the guidelines themselves, and describes the process leading up to the adoption of the present draft as well as the steps which remain to be taken before final approval of the guidelines by the United Nations.