Criminal Psychology and the Criminal Justice System in India and Beyond

This book provides a focused and comprehensive overview of criminal psychology in different socio-economic and psycho-sociological contexts. It informs readers on the role of psychology in the various aspects of the criminal justice process, starting from the investigation of a crime to the rehabilitation or reintegration of the offender. Current research in criminology and psychology has been discussed to understand the minds of various offenders, how to interact with them during investigation and conviction effectively and how to bring about positive changes in various stages of the criminal justice process—investigation, prosecution, incarceration, rehabilitation—to increase the efficacy of the correctional system and improve public confidence in the justice system. It thoroughly addresses the bigger issues of holistically reducing the increase in crime rates and susceptibility in society. Each chapter builds on leading scholarship in this field from Western scholars and supplements these theories with research findings from a South Asian perspective, particularly in the Indian criminal justice system. This book successfully encapsulates the foundations of criminal psychology literature while incorporating interdisciplinary avenues of study into criminal behaviour and legal psychology, bringing into the provincial discourse lacunas of the justice system and avenues for alternative correctional and rehabilitative programs.

Prof. (Dr.) Sanjeev P. Sahni is presently Professor at O. P. Jindal Global University and Principal Director of the Jindal Institute of Behavioural Sciences (JIBS), Director for Center for Victimology and Psychological Studies, Director for Centre for Criminology and Forensic Studies, Member of the Governing Body and Advisor to the Vice Chancellor at O.P. Jindal Global University. He holds a Ph.D. in Psychology and possesses an extensive and rich experience of over 32 years in academia, industry and government sector. His work spans in the areas of criminal psychology, criminal justice, victimology, forensic psychology, policing and law enforcement. He has trained over 75,000 professionals in over 50 countries and was a visiting professor in criminal psychology to China several times. Dr. Sahni has recently been nominated as Member of the Board of Directors of the International Society of Criminology. He is also UN Liaison Committee Member of World Society of Victimology (WSV). Among his several academic endeavours, he has been regularly representing India at United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC—Austria, Doha, Japan) and Academic Council on the United Nations System. He has published more than 35 research articles in international and national indexed journals and about 20 book chapters. He has also authored/edited 15 books, some of the recent ones being: The Death Penalty (Springer), Internet Infidelity (Springer), Piracy in the Digital Era (Springer).

Poulomi Bhadra is Assistant Professor and Assistant Director at the Jindal Institute of Behavioural Sciences (JIBS) and also Research Fellow at the Centre for India China Studies (CICS). She founded the Centre for Criminology and Forensic Studies (CCFS) at JIBS in 2020 in recognition of a need to incorporate scientific and legal education. She has pursued degrees in Forensic Science from King’s College London and Criminology and Criminal Psychology from University of Essex, UK.  Prior to joining JGU, she has worked with the Natural History Museum, London, and the London Metropolitan Police. She is presently Member of the South Asian Society of Victimology and Criminology, the International Society of Criminology and the Chartered Society of Forensic Science, UK. She is also affiliated to the research think-tank Centre for Forensic Studies in Criminal Justice. Her research interests are built on a multidimensional, interdisciplinary profile that is predominantly focused on the intersection of forensics, law, forensic psychology and criminology as well as cultural studies.