Publications

The unprecedented speed of digital transformation is reshaping not only the way societies communicate, work, and access information, but also the way crime evolves, operates, and impacts individuals, institutions, and States. In a global context marked by growing geopolitical tensions, social fragmentation, and accelerating technological change, the opportunities created by innovation increasingly coexist with new vulnerabilities that are often difficult to identify, govern, and contain. As highlighted in the opening editorial by UNICRI Acting Director Leif Villadsen, the challenge of our time

How can governments respond effectively to minerals crime when criminal networks operate across borders, supply chains, and financial systems?As global demand for gold and critical minerals continues to grow, illegal extraction and trafficking are increasingly linked to organized crime, illicit financial flows, corruption, environmental harm, and broader governance vulnerabilities. These dynamics are becoming particularly significant in the Andean–Amazon region, where mineral supply chains intersect with fragile ecosystems, transnational trade routes, and complex governance challenges. UN

Evidence, practice and global lessons from UNICRI’s Digital Rehabilitation in Prisons projectDigital technologies are increasingly influencing the future of correctional systems worldwide. When applied responsibly, they can support rehabilitation, promote social reintegration and help prison administrations respond to evolving technological and societal realities.The report “Shaping the Future of Digital Rehabilitation in Prisons: Evidence, Practice and Global Lessons from UNICRI’s Digital Rehabilitation in Prisons Project” presents the outcomes and lessons learned from a series of evidence-in

This briefing paper by UNICRI, the Nature Crime Alliance and the Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition sheds light on the key challenges facing investigative journalists reporting on environmental crime worldwide — and outlines practical recommendations to strengthen the field.Titled Empowering Investigative Journalism on Environmental Crime: Insights from a Global Training, the report draws on discussions and survey findings from a specialised training workshop held from 29 September to 1 October 2025. The workshop brought together more than 110 journalists and

  The new issue of 1540 Compass (Issue 5, January 2026) is now available, the journal dedicated to supporting the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1540 on preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by non-State actors.This fifth issue focuses on Disrupting proliferation in finance and trade, offering an in-depth examination of how financial flows, international trade and emerging technologies can be exploited to support proliferation activities, and of the regulatory and operational measures required to counter these risks effectively.The

Hidden Links: Facilitating Criminal Activities While Exploiting E-Commerce examines a rapidly growing and increasingly sophisticated form of online criminality linked to the trafficking of counterfeit goods. As digital marketplaces continue to expand and third-party sellers account for a significant share of global e-commerce, counterfeiters have adapted their practices, moving decisively from physical markets to online platforms.In response to this shift, e-commerce platforms and brand owners have invested heavily in automated detection tools, including image recognition and keyword-based fil

Cyberspace has become a defining arena for contemporary crime, conflict and security. As emerging technologies transform the way societies function, they are also reshaping how criminal actors operate, how conflicts unfold, and how legal and governance systems are challenged to respond. This new issue of Freedom From Fear Magazine (F3), The New Criminal Code: Deciphering Emerging Threats in Cyberspace, jointly produced by UNICRI and Ghent University, examines these dynamics through a multidisciplinary and forward-looking lens.One of the themes explored in this issue is the growing role of arti

Level Up – Gaming and Violent Extremism in Africa aims to deepen understanding of online harms in gaming spaces, particularly in the context of violent extremism. As gaming becomes increasingly social — especially through online mobile multiplayer titles with in-game chat — the potential for terrorist and violent extremist exploitation continues to grow.Africa, the largest and fastest-growing gaming region globally, is particularly relevant in this regard, given that it is already heavily affected by terrorism. By 2030, Sub-Saharan Africa alone is expected to reach 751 million mobile-phone own

  Organized crime and corruption undermine state revenues, weaken institutional credibility, and obstruct long-term development goals. Asset recovery, and in particular the social re-use of seized and confiscated assets, is a key response to ensure that illicitly-acquired resources - from financial proceeds to real estate - are not only recovered, but also redirected to serve community needs. The social re-use of seized and confiscated assets is an essential element of the asset recovery cycle, which includes the tracing, seizure, confiscation, management, and eventual return of