Abstract
Crime and response of criminal justice system is an all-time issue. Delivery of justice by the Criminal Justice System is directed to satisfy the general conscience of the society, specific conscience of the victim and toward a strong approach of crime prevention. After all, it is seen that stopping of commission of crime is a strong voice after each commission of crime. Studying crime, criminal, and victim under criminology does not end with the study. But real challenge starts when emerging challenges come forward with a call for study. It appears that seeing to this challenging task, the editor Prabha Unnithan has taken the present study.
It seems that the editor has chosen the title Crime and Justice in India with a view to justify the contents of the book. The author’s assessment that criminology and criminal justice is in its infancy in India begs more justification from some chapters wherein the study is termed, as done for the first time. Thus, the book is capable to give the readers, through the lucid narratives a glimpse of various dimensions of crime problem and criminal justice in India.
The book has been divided into four sections. In these four sections, there are 19 contributions in shape of chapters. Putting all contributions together in a sequence to justify the title of book seems to be appreciable.
The first section dealing with Overviews of crime and justice in India reflects the contribution of six subtitle themes authored by various authors and coauthors. This part throws light upon those issues that affect the entire criminal justice system. An examination of coercive nature of state in 64 years old democracy gives a version of colonial heritage. The author in this chapter has brought the fact and found that even after several steps have been taken toward democratization of the nature of state, the coercive practice is not deniable yet. This in fact pulls the attention of researchers, and the researchers will be prompted to find out the extent of measures to end the coercive practice on the part of the state. The chapter makes readers to understand that such coercive nature of the state is a mark of denial of existence of democratic system. Colonial mode of government still persisting is an assessment taken by the author in this section and a commitment toward British Raj as a police feature is an indicator not matching with democratic spirit. Such behavior affects adversely the whole democratic system and strikes upon the constitutional conscience of public.
One of the chapters in this section deals with the most burning issue of corruption. And it has been assessed that corruption is omnipresent in such a manner in entire system that a person who wants to avoid this sometimes wonder whether he is being pointless martyrs to meaningless morality. From different angles and techniques, the corrupt practices are depicted. The findings will certainly be a prompt to research. The various folded aspects leading to criminal behavior have been unfolded. This will be encouraging to those who concentrate their study in this specific domain. In this context, the book contains the valuable potential to be utilized by the researchers and even the learners.
The study in the fourth chapter puts forth the social perspective of crime. This gives new dimension to the response to the crime. People studying the response to the crime will take a good help from this work. The readers may find the point of view of “Just Punish,” as a balanced view on the treatment of the offenders.
Next chapter entitled as “Criminology and Criminal Justice education in India” has further added an explorable aspect to the knowledge of the field development of the study of criminology and criminal justice from social science institution to legal one in India.
Section two comprises of five chapters. All the chapters in this section examine the multifaceted aspects of policing in India. It includes citizen’s perception of police and protection rendered by the police, the shadow of corruption, and corrupt practices. Gender-specific concern of protection has been the part of examination in Chapter 8. The existing women police stations have been evaluated empirically too. Chapter 9 tried to find out the impact of higher education on the police perception. Chapter 10 raises questions of police power to encounter and has tried to look into it from different perspectives. Chapter 11 deals with the research on private security guards, which appears to be done for the first time in India. However, one aspect that the security guards having the knowledge of law remains untouched.
The third section of the book deals with the gender-specific criminal law, specific criminal law and general criminal law, and consequently the issue of system of victimization. This section consists of four chapters. Chapter 12, “Crime Against Women” (p. 257), lacks clarity especially when author narrates about marital rape in India. It is felt that the readers expect simple and clear version of a fact. Chapter 13 talks of secondary victimization through the process of the court, which seems to be the finding of the author. As discussed, secondary victimization or revictimization in the chapter is a possible fact that has been highlighted with proven capacity. Thus, the chapter will show the way to students charged with similar interest to go in deep side of the issue. Further, the book takes a note of plea bargaining in India. It takes not only critical view but comparative study that adds to the utility of the book.
Section four discusses the last sector of criminal justice system. It consists of four chapters starting from punishment to punishment in terms of correction. Issue of death penalty has been examined from different footings. A comparative outlook of death penalty has also been discussed. The readers may get benefit by studying insidious factors involved in execution of death penalty. Thus, it will boost the mind of readers/researchers to unfold other aspects appended to the issue. The other chapters in this section touch the key issues in juvenile delinquency even after various amendments in the Act. The prison and correctional methods have also been examined. However, there are minor typical errors found on page 397 and 398, which are ignorable.
Summarizing the above-reviewed discussion, it can be submitted that the book has its own potential to the students studying criminology in orientation with social work or as a part of social science or legal science. The book also extends its help to those who wants to study crime scientifically. It also determines its role of being studied from crime to criminology and from penology to sentencing policy. No doubt the work contained in the book will encourage a fact in the mind of all, willing to work that the study of crime and criminal justice system is not only desirous but essential on the part of those who cooperate in crime prevention and treatment of delinquents.