A/67/278 Corruption • Take strong measures to eliminate corrupt practices in the justice system and in law enforcement, including the solicitation of bribes; such measures might include legislation criminalizing all forms of corrupt acts, dedicating resources to policing and prosecuting corrupt officials, requiring judges to make declarations of the assets, improving the working conditions and salaries of police and judicial officers, and improving mechanisms to ensure the transparency of judicial processes Legal representation • Ensure that persons living in poverty have practical and effective access to competent legal advice and assistance when needed for the protection of their human rights, including by making available sufficient resources to provide high-quality legal aid • Ensure that legal aid is promptly provided to all arrested or detained persons who cannot afford to retain a lawyer; free legal assistance should be available at all stages of the criminal justice process, including during initial questioning and pretrial detention • Ensure access to free and competent civil legal assistance for persons living in poverty where the enjoyment of human rights — civil, political, economic, social and/or cultural — is at stake • Ensure that legal aid lawyers are independent, adequately trained and remunerated, and meet the highest standards of the legal profession • Enhance legal skills and knowledge within local communities by, for example, funding and training quality paralegals at the local level • Ensure that lawyers and paralegals have access to people living in poverty who require their services in police stations, pretrial detention and prison facilities • Ensure that legal aid application procedures take into account the individual experiences, needs and constraints of the poor; eligibility must not be assessed on the basis of household income where the applicant does not have practical access to household resources Structural problems of judicial processes Excessive delays • Allocate sufficient financial and human resources to ensure the efficient and effective functioning of all organs of the judicial system, including police stations, prosecution corps and courts • Ensure that cases where the rights of persons living in poverty are at stake are not subject to long delays which might exacerbate their situation • Ensure the effective enforcement of judgements and compliance with judicial rulings in favour of persons living in poverty 12-45806 23