This book systematically introduces the practice of restorative justice in India, as a resource for comparative criminal justice research. “Restorative justice” focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with victims, and with the community at large. It has gained momentum as a justice reform movement in Western countries within the past three decades, and it is estimated that up to one hundred countries worldwide utilize restorative justice practices. Within Western countries, it is seen largely a response or alternative to the perceived deficiencies of the existing criminal justice system. India has a rich tradition of restorative justice, and this work introduces both the traditional basis and contemporary practices of this justice system in India, in a comprehensive and systematic way. The contributions to this work cover three main areas: I. The Tradition of Restorative Justice in India II. The Development of Restorative Justice in India III. Restorative Justice Practices in India The third part – “Practices” covers special topics: including Restorative Justice and the Court, Restorative Justice and Incarceration, Restorative Justice and Juveniles, and Restorative Justice and Woman. The book covers the full range of the issues of restorative justice in India and will be a highly valuable resource book for researchers and upper level graduate students interested in alternative justice models in general, comparative criminology, and criminal justice in India specifically. “A landmark volume in the history of restorative justice and criminology in India. Many outstanding scholars in this collection outline the Indian experience of restorative justice from which the world has much to learn.” John Braithwaite Australian National University

Covers Indian law enforcement up to 1975. Whether it be achieving the peaceful arrest of Geronimo and his heavily armed followers in the 1870's, stopping the liquor traffic in the Indian Territory just after the turn of the century, or maintaining the peace in the emotionally charged atmosphere of the Dakotas in the 1970's, the work of the Indian police has always been challenging. The Indian police carry with them a long and distinguished tradition that provides the inspiration to meet the challenges they face. It extends not merely to the creation of the reservation system, but back into the unrecorded histories of the Native American societies before the white men came. Many of the men who answered the call to service in the 1870's were already veterans in police work with the police societies of the Plains tribes or the office of High Sheriff of the tribes of the Indian Territory. Likewise, the first judges selected were often men with distinguished records as leaders of their people. Some, like Quanah and Gall, had been leaders in the fierce Indian resistance to white encroachment. When they saw conditions had changed, they chose again to lead their people and help them make the best of the new world. This short history of the Indian Criminal Justice system is dedicated to the men and women whose goal it is to carry on this heritage as they work each day to bring the peace, justice and safety so important to the continued development of the communities we serve.

In a groundbreaking work, Klaus Muhlhahn offers a comprehensive examination of the criminal justice system in modern China, an institution deeply rooted in politics, society, and culture. In late imperial China, flogging, tattooing, torture, and servitude were routine punishments. Sentences, including executions, were generally carried out in public. After 1905, in a drive to build a strong state and curtail pressure from the West, Chinese officials initiated major legal reforms. Physical punishments were replaced by fines and imprisonment. Capital punishment, though removed from the public sphere, remained in force for the worst crimes. Trials no longer relied on confessions obtained through torture but were instead held in open court and based on evidence. Prison reform became the centerpiece of an ambitious social-improvement program. After 1949, the Chinese communists developed their own definitions of criminality and new forms of punishment. People's tribunals were convened before large crowds, which often participated in the proceedings. At the center of the socialist system was reform through labor, and thousands of camps administered prison sentences. Eventually, the communist leadership used the camps to detain anyone who offended against the new society, and the crime of counterrevolution was born. Muhlhahn reveals the broad contours of criminal justice from late imperial China to the Deng reform era and details the underlying values, successes and failures, and ultimate human costs of the system. Based on unprecedented research in Chinese archives and incorporating prisoner testimonies, witness reports, and interviews, this book is essential reading for understanding modern China.

Originally published in 1946, this book was written to provide British lawyers with a guide to the legal processes of India, particularly those lawyers engaging with Indian law for the first time. The text is divided into two main parts: civil law and criminal law. A list of cases cited is included at the end of the text. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in the development of Indian law and legal history.