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Criminology PhD candidate presents research on regional approaches to wildlife crime to prosecutors in Vietnam

August 10, 2023

by Sofia Ortega

Criminology PhD candidate Samantha de Vries was recently invited to share her research findings with Vietnamese prosecutors partaking in a training workshop titled "Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters in Viet Nam”. De Vries’ research on regional cooperation in wildlife criminal matters in Eastern Africa presented a valuable case study for the course participants.

Organized by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Vietnam and Supreme People's Procuracy (SPP) Vietnam, the training session was attended by over 30 prosecutors from 17 provinces and cities of Vietnam.

In her virtual presentation, de Vries discussed both informal and formal cooperation channels between investigators and prosecutors, multilateral treaties that may serve as the basis for international cooperation in criminal matters, as well as challenges that practitioners face when engaging in cooperation in wildlife cases.

De Vries’ ground-breaking research looks at how transnational crimes involving wildlife are pursued and resolved in different criminal justice systems, including international and regional approaches to wildlife crime. Since 2020 she’s worked as an individual contractor and consultant with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Environment Team. She also shares her expertise by teaching the course “CRIM 318 Crimes Against the Environment: An Introduction to International Wildlife Criminology".

Samantha de Vries during her time in Kenya interning with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

“What I liked the most about being part of this event was the opportunity to turn my exposure to the challenges some practitioners have faced in cooperation in wildlife matters in Eastern Africa, into a helpful experience for practitioners in another geographic region,” says de Vries. “Working together in transnational matters goes to the heart of my research into wildlife crime and cooperation.”

De Vries is looking forward to potential future collaborations with the WCS.