Saju Parackal

Bio: Saju Parackal is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Indian Penal Code & Mediation. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 5 publications receiving 3 citations.

The Socio-economic Profile of Children in Conflict with the Law

Abstract: Children engaged in offences tend to share certain common features: they are victims of multiple deprivations; most come from poor or dysfunctional families and had parents with lower levels of education. This does not mean, however, that deviant behaviour is the monopoly of children from lower-income groups. Evidence shows that children from middle- and high-income families also commit offences, but these tend to remain hidden in the data as most such cases are settled before they come to court. The law appears to be harshest, therefore, to those who are the most socially and politically vulnerable. Nevertheless, poverty cannot be considered as the root cause of offences by children as there are millions of poor children who are law-abiding. It is best regarded as one among many risk factors. The focus of this chapter is to conduct a critical analysis of the profile of children in conflict with law and to find a correlation between offences and socio-economic variables.

The Juvenile Justice System: A Pathway for the Restoration of Children in Conflict with the Law

Abstract: Developmental psychology suggests that childhood is a maturing phase and that children are easily amenable provided they are safeguarded against any physical and mental trauma and supported with adequate services. This chapter offers a critical review of the implementation of the existing Juvenile Justice Act (JJA) in India through the lens of the stakeholders in the system: the police, officials of detention centres and the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB). The chapter argues that incarceration is not the most appropriate or effective option, even for the most serious adolescent offenders. Evidences prove that if children are provided community-based supervision and after-care services, positive changes can be brought into their lives. The chapter concludes by stating that the discussion and debate about the system should be focused on making it more reformative and restorative by incorporating diversion, community services, victim offender mediation, family conferences, group therapy into the JJB structure.

Factors Predisposing Children to Offences

Abstract: It is hard to isolate any one factor and assert that it invariably causes deviance/offence by children. It relies on a mix of individual traits, family experiences, school experiences, peer influences and the community where he or she lives. The empirical results and the secondary literature suggest, however, that lack of attachment, a negative environment and wrong role models which children observe and experience in life have an adverse influence on them, contributing to their growth and maturation into unacceptable behaviour. By contrast, if children remain attached to their family, school and community they are less likely to be lured into deviant behaviour. A self-account of the children in conflict with the law has been presented in this chapter, highlighting the factors that pushed and pulled them to deviant behaviors and how they ended up in detention centres.

The Nature of Offences and Culpability

Abstract: Children get involved in all types of offences such as the violation of Special Local Laws (SLL) or the Indian Penal Code. They may commit non-serious/heinous offences like theft/robbery or serious/heinous offences such as murder, attempt to murder and rape. The latter, however, account for only a very small number, implying that their engagement differs from that of adults as their acts of offences are mostly the result of developmental/age-specific features such as provocation, peer influence, immediate rewards, curiosity/exploration and risk/adventure than a premeditated and determined act. Affirming the same with self-reports of children, this study calls for the mitigation of their culpability and blameworthiness. Critically examining the nature of offences committed by children who are in various detention centres this chapter argues and establishes why they should be treated differently while holding them responsible and accountable for what they have done.

The Genesis of the Translation of Children’s Classics: A Bourdieusian Account of ʿAbd al-Fattāḥ Ṣabrī’s Translation of Gulliver’s Travels (1909)

Abstract: Recently, Bourdieu’s sociological theory has been applied in translation studies. Based on Bourdieu’s assumption that individuals’ practices result from the interwoven relation between their habitus and the field in which they grow up and work, ʿAbd al-Fattāḥ Ṣabrī’s translation of Gulliver’s Travels (1909) was chosen as a testing ground, through which this assumption will be proven or rejected. This paper aims to contribute to the growing area of sociological research by contextualizing this translation within its socio-cultural context. To carry out this analysis, Bourdieu’s concepts – field, habitus, and doxa – are used as research tools to understand the relationship between the decisions a translator makes at the micro-level and the stimuli at the macro-level. This entails examining the genesis of the field of children’s literature in Egypt during the late nineteenth century to identify the prevalent doxic practices that conditioned cultural productions. It also requires focussing on the socio-political factors that influenced the translator’s habitus. The analysis is expected to determine to what extent the decisions taken at the textual level were affected by both the prevalent doxic practices and the translator’s habitus. This research concludes that the habitus may exert powerful effects on the translator’s strategic decisions to a greater extent than the prevalent doxic practices in the field. Examining the influences of the translator’s habitus in the translation has produced some results worthy of further analysis. It may be possible to expand on this study by including different genres in the same field, such as fantasy books for children. The same sociological theory also could be applied to other genres outside the field of children’s literature, such as the translation of political books.

The Quagmire of Juvenile Delinquency: Perspectives of Inmates and Officers in a Correctional Facility in Accra, Ghana

Abstract: Drawing on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, this study explored the experiences and perspectives of juvenile offenders and officers on juvenile delinquency in Accra, Ghana. A descriptive...

The Role of a Social Worker in Children Dragged Into Crime According to the Turkish Penalty System in the Digital World

Abstract: Social work plays an important role in managing the process of planning, supervising, and ensuring the sustainability of protective and supportive measures applied to children who are dragged into crime and in need of protection in order to prevent incompatibilities that may arise in society. Social workers are actors in the field in the execution of the process. In this chapter, these practitioners who have made significant contributions to social work by giving reports and opinions about the measures taken by the courts about the children dragged into crime, determining the criminal tendencies of the children and the necessary precautions and training, are examined closely in the context of the Turkish legal system. The chapter includes the issues of judicial control, protective and supportive measures, preparation of a plan for the implementation of cautionary decisions, confidentiality, the role of the social worker and the social worker board for children who are dragged into crime and in need of protection.

Understanding deviance from the perspectives of youth labelled as children in conflict with law in Mumbai, India

Abstract: This article presents voices of youth labelled as ‘children in conflict with law’ on deviance, using the theoretical framework of labelling. Based on a narrative analysis of 24 in-depth interviews with youth and other stakeholders in Mumbai, three key themes emerged: defining deviance; self and the deviant others – the othering of deviance; and living with a deviant identity. We found that the youth explained deviance as good or bad contextually, continuously interpreting its meanings, different from adult viewpoints. The youth engaged in identity management strategies to move away from the labels and stigma. The youth, labelled as rule-breakers, balanced the power equations by ‘counter-labelling’, where they hold the rule-enforcers accountable for creating labels. The article locates the findings in Southern criminology and argues for the Indian juvenile justice system to acknowledge the local contexts of youth and their communities and address the larger pathways that lead to deviance and crime.