NCJ Number
108073
Journal
Indian Journal of Criminology Volume: 15 Issue: 2 Dated: (July 1987) Pages: 79-83
Date Published
1987
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Given to the 16th Annual Conference of the Indian Society of Criminology, this address discusses the development of criminology in India and its Western influences, the criminologist's role in social science, and controversies in Indian criminology.
Abstract
After reviewing trends in Western criminology, the author emphasizes that Indian criminologists have begun to scrutinize their own materials in order to make their theories relevant to the demands of Indian society. In this context, Indian criminology is dealing with new offenses like tampering with the public distribution system, collective political violence, and abuse of political power. Three roles of the criminologist are described: the analyst, a social critic, and assessing the feasibility of criminal justice programs. The address examines two important polemics in contemporary Indian criminology: the role of Western theoretical models in the Indian system and the socio-political approach that legal and social reforms may follow. The author cautions against a strong radical approach to change, explores student unrest, and proposes an alternative to radicalism.