Treatment of Offenders, "Bearing in mind the important role of the United Nations in the field of criminal justice through the mediiuD of the quinquennial Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, the Final Act adopted at Helsinki in 1975 by the participating States of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Concluding Document adopted by those States in 1989 at the follow-up Vienna Meeting 1986 of Representatives of the Participating States of the Conference, in which those States expressed their intention to strengthen co-operation, inter alia, in the areas of security and justice and the observance of human rights, "Bearing in mind that the reports of the regional preparatory meetings for the Eighth United Nations Congress on,the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders encourage the continuous elaboration of strategies for the practical implementation of the United Nations norms and guidelines in crime prevention and criminal justice systems through various forms of international co-operation, "Considering that the European Meeting of Heads of Prison Administrations, held at Messina and Rome from 6 to 12 November 1989 in preparation for the Eighth United Nations Congress, provided an excellent opportunity for an exchange of information and experience between European countries, "Noting with appreciation the close collaborative links established between the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme and its human rights programme, "Recognizing the necessity and relevance of imprisonment as a penal sanction against some offenders in the overriding interests of public safety, "Conscious of the heavy demands made by the criminal justice system on the human and material resources of Member States, "Bearing in mind the limited effectiveness of imprisonment as a mechanism of social defence, crime prevention and control. a penal sanction.of the high economic and social costs of imprisonment as
**Analysis**
The text discusses the treatment of offenders, imprisonment, and the role of the United Nations in criminal justice, highlighting the need for international cooperation and the limited effectiveness of imprisonment as a mechanism of social defence, crime prevention, and control. The text also mentions the economic and social costs of imprisonment, which suggests a focus on social and economic issues.

**Category**
Health, Employment