Editing Haiti (section)

===Law enforcement and crime===
{{Main|Haitian National Police|Crime in Haiti}}
[[File:Members of the Haitian National Police Force marching band stand at parade.jpg|300px|thumb|Members of the Haitian National Police Force marching band stand at parade]]
The legal system is based on a modified version of the [[Napoleonic Code]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/world/haiti.htm|title=Haitian Law|publisher=Jurist.law.pitt.edu|access-date=24 July 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630063029/http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/world/haiti.htm|archive-date=30 June 2013}}</ref><ref name="Encylopedia Britannica - Haiti"/>

Haiti has consistently ranked among the most corrupt countries in the world on the [[Corruption Perceptions Index]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6120522.stm|title=Haiti tops world corruption table|work=BBC News|date=6 November 2006|access-date=24 July 2013|archive-date=28 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728134841/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6120522.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> According to a 2006 report by the [[Corruption Perceptions Index]], there is a strong correlation between corruption and poverty in Haiti. The republic ranked first of all countries surveyed for levels of perceived domestic corruption.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://transparency.ie/content/2006-corruption-perceptions-index-reinforces-link-between-poverty-and-corruption-and-shows-w|title=2006 Corruption Perceptions Index reinforces link between poverty and corruption|publisher=Transparency International|date=6 November 2006|access-date=15 January 2009|archive-date=12 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512214417/http://transparency.ie/content/2006-corruption-perceptions-index-reinforces-link-between-poverty-and-corruption-and-shows-w|url-status=live}}</ref> It is estimated that President [[Jean-Claude Duvalier|"Baby Doc" Duvalier]], his wife [[Michèle Bennett|Michele]], and their agents stole US $504 million from the treasury between 1971 and 1986.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/bribe/2009/05/haiti-the-long-road-to-recovery.html|title=Haiti: The Long Road to Recovery, Public Broadcasting Service|author=Siri Schubert|publisher=Pbs.org|date=22 May 2009|access-date=24 July 2013|archive-date=1 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130901041909/http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/bribe/2009/05/haiti-the-long-road-to-recovery.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Similarly, after the Haitian Army folded in 1995, the Haitian National Police (HNP) gained sole power of authority on the Haitian citizens. Many Haitians as well as observers believe that this monopolized power could have given way to a corrupt police force.<ref name="Haiti: Police and Law Enforcement">{{cite web|url=http://www.gsdrc.org/document-library/haiti-police-and-law-enforcement/|title=Haiti: Police and Law Enforcement|date=2010|access-date=18 June 2017|publisher=GSDRC|archive-date=8 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170608090305/http://www.gsdrc.org/document-library/haiti-police-and-law-enforcement|url-status=dead}}</ref> Some media outlets alleged that millions were stolen by former president [[Jean-Bertrand Aristide]].<ref name="American Spectator Vol 1994">{{cite journal|title=Aristide Development|journal=American Spectator|volume=27|issue=7|date=1 July 1994}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.radiokiskeya.com/RapportUCREF.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060501062854/http://www.radiokiskeya.com/RapportUCREF.pdf|archive-date=1 May 2006|title=Rapport UCREF|access-date=24 July 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/world/2005/10/31/6524/Probe-of-Aristide-administration-finds-evidence-of-embezzlement|title=Probe of Aristide administration finds evidence of embezzlement|work=Dominican Today|date=31 October 2005|access-date=5 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304200037/http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/world/2005/10/31/6524/Probe-of-Aristide-administration-finds-evidence-of-embezzlement|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB117124344952105351|title=The Haiti File|author=Mary Anastasia O'Grady|publisher=Online.wsj.com|date=12 February 2007|access-date=24 July 2013|archive-date=15 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015232318/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB117124344952105351|url-status=live}}</ref> The BBC also described [[pyramid scheme]]s, in which Haitians lost hundreds of millions in 2002, as the "only real economic initiative" of the Aristide years.<ref name="basketcase">{{cite news|last=Schifferes|first=Steve|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3522155.stm|title=Haiti: An economic basket-case|work=BBC News|date=1 March 2004|access-date=24 July 2013|archive-date=28 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728143315/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3522155.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>

Conversely, according to the 2013 [[United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime]] ([[UNODC]]) report, murder rates (10.2 per 100,000) are far ''below'' the regional average (26 per 100,000); less than {{sfrac|1|4}} that of Jamaica (39.3 per 100,000) and nearly {{sfrac|1|2}} that of the Dominican Republic (22.1 per 100,000), making it among the safer countries in the region.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/press/releases/2014/April/some-437000-people-murdered-worldwide-in-2012-according-to-new-unodc-study.html|title=Some 437,000 people murdered worldwide in 2012, according to new UNODC study|access-date=12 April 2015|archive-date=17 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417184608/http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/press/releases/2014/April/some-437000-people-murdered-worldwide-in-2012-according-to-new-unodc-study.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unodc.org/documents/gsh/pdfs/2014_GLOBAL_HOMICIDE_BOOK_web.pdf|title=Global Study on Homicide|year=2013|publisher=UNODC|access-date=20 April 2015|archive-date=22 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722011654/https://www.unodc.org/documents/gsh/pdfs/2014_GLOBAL_HOMICIDE_BOOK_web.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> In large part, this is due to the country's ability to fulfil a pledge by increasing its national police yearly by 50%, a four-year initiative that was started in 2012. In addition to the yearly recruits, the Haitian National Police (HNP) has been using innovative technologies to crack down on crime. A notable bust in recent years{{When|date=March 2017}} led to the dismantlement of the largest kidnapping ring in the country with the use of an advanced software program developed by a [[United States Military Academy|West Point]]-trained Haitian official that proved to be so effective that it has led to its foreign advisers to make inquiries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/headline-Haiti-among-safest-destinations-in-the-Americas%252C-say-recent-studies-14006.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130111101726/http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/headline-Haiti-among-safest-destinations-in-the-Americas%2C-say-recent-studies-14006.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 January 2013|title=Haiti among safest destinations in the Americas, say recent studies|work=Caribbean News Now|date=7 January 2013|access-date=20 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://baltimorepostexaminer.com/haiti-earthquake-fails-to-deter-hotel-boom/2013/06/22|title=Haiti earthquake fails to deter hotel boom|editor=Luxner, Larry|work=Baltimore Post-Examiner|date=22 June 2013|access-date=20 April 2015|archive-date=27 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427111441/http://baltimorepostexaminer.com/haiti-earthquake-fails-to-deter-hotel-boom/2013/06/22|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2010, the [[New York City Police Department]] (NYPD) sent a team of officers to Haiti to assist in the rebuilding of its police force with special training in investigative techniques, anti-kidnapping strategies and community outreach. It has also helped the HNP set up a police unit in [[Delmas, Ouest|Delmas]], a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/nation/2014/11/17/19200343/|agency=Associated Press|title=NYPD officers train Haitian police|work=USA Today|date=17 November 2014|access-date=20 April 2015|archive-date=3 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150903230526/http://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/nation/2014/11/17/19200343/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="USAID">{{cite web|url=http://www.usaid.gov/haiti/governance-rule-law-and-security|title=Haiti: governance, Rule of Law, and Security|publisher=USAID|access-date=20 April 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150426002122/http://www.usaid.gov/haiti/governance-rule-law-and-security|archive-date=26 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first1=Sean|last1=Gardiner|access-date=28 July 2021|title=NYPD Set to Aid Haitian Cops|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704271804575405632390017998|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|date=3 August 2010|issn=0099-9660|via=wsj.com|archive-date=28 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210728231626/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704271804575405632390017998|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|access-date=28 July 2021|title=NYPD Answering Calls for Help in Haiti|date=5 April 2014|url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/nypd-officers-training-police-port-au-prince-haiti-earthquake-devastation-violence/1021929/|archive-date=28 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210728231628/https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/nypd-officers-training-police-port-au-prince-haiti-earthquake-devastation-violence/1021929/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2012 and 2013, 150 HNP officers received specialized training funded by the US government, which also contributed to the infrastructure and communications support by upgrading radio capacity and constructing new police stations from the most violent-prone neighborhoods of [[Cité Soleil]] and [[Grande Ravine]] in Port-au-Prince to the new northern industrial park at [[Caracol, Nord-Est|Caracol]].<ref name="USAID" />

According to the UN Haiti faces a worsening crisis marked by extreme violence, political instability, and a deepening humanitarian emergency. UN Special Representative [[Virginia Gamba (UN official)|Virginia Gamba]] condemned the use of children by armed gangs, highlighting [[sexual violence]] as a weapon of war. The removal of interim Prime Minister Garry Conille has further destabilized governance. Armed groups have targeted schools and hospitals, displacing thousands and leaving 300,000 children without education. The UN calls for urgent humanitarian aid, enhanced security efforts, and political unity to address the crisis, as over 2.7 million people live under gang control.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-11-11 |title=Children face unprecedented crisis amid rising violence in Haiti {{!}} UN News |url=https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/11/1156826 |access-date=2025-02-07 |website=news.un.org |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Almost one in eight children internally displaced in Haiti as armed violence continues – UNICEF |url=https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/almost-one-eight-children-internally-displaced-haiti-armed-violence-continues-unicef |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250126163751/https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/almost-one-eight-children-internally-displaced-haiti-armed-violence-continues-unicef |archive-date=26 January 2025 |access-date=2025-02-07 |website=www.unicef.org |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref>