Trends in the criminal justice resp

Trends in the criminal justice response to homicide A way to monitor the efficiency of criminal justice systems in relation to the management of homicide cases is to consider trends in homicide as well as corresponding developments in the levels of people suspected and convicted of homicide. This analysis should not be considered indicative of the overall performance of the system — as stated earlier, qualitative aspects of criminal justice administration should also be accounted for — but it can shed light on whether its resources are being used efficiently.

Over the last few years, the gap between the number of homicides and the number of convictions has been widening in the Americas.10 The police seem to be able to identify suspects even
though the number of homicides has increased, but the number of convictions does not follow the
rising trend (see figure 5.7). In Asia,11 the criminal justice response to homicide did not change significantly between 2003 and 2011; the gap between homicide cases and convictions increased slightly, with a suspect being convicted in less than half of all homicide cases. In Europe, both the homicide and suspect rate have declined by almost half since 2003, while the rate of persons convicted of homicide has declined by 30 per cent. This means that the gap between homicides committed and convictions has narrowed, with the majority of homicide investigations leading to a conviction.
A direct way to monitor the efficiency of the criminal justice system is to examine time trends in homicide conviction rates, which are very diverse at the regional level (see figure 5.8). A decreasing trend shows that the performance of the criminal justice system is deteriorating and that improved capacities, resources and procedures are needed. The increasing trend recorded in Europe indicates that the region’s criminal justice systems have been increasingly efficient in dealing with homicides. This is no doubt also connected to the low levels of homicides recorded in Europe. On the other hand, although Asia is also characterized by low homicide rates, the conviction rate has gradually declined in that region. In the Americas, the increasing trend recorded up until 2007 has since reversed, as rising homicide trends have not been paralleled by similar levels of convictions, meaning that impunity related to homicide has grown in the Americas in recent years. The specific reasons for such phenomena need further investigation,
but they could be due to issues related to a lack, or inefficient use, of resources, insufficient capacities or inappropriate legislation.