Encounters with the Criminal Justice System
摘要
The goal of the criminal justice system, therefore, is not merely punishing those individuals who are found guilty of having committed crimes but also trying to reform those individuals so that they can return to society as better human beings. In this chapter, we observed the experiences of these inmates with the criminal justice system in our country. This chapter mentions the experiences of the inmates with their lawyers in detail. Be it a Bangladeshi or a Rohingya or even an Indian inmate, at the outset, I came to know from the inmates that their lawyers did not meet them or appear before them. Most of the inmates I met had developed a deep sense of scepticism, disbelief and resentment towards the lawyers. The entire criminal justice system is characterized by systemic delays, which inflict significant emotional, logistical and financial stress on the inmates and their families, regardless of their guilt or innocence. The formal procedures of the criminal justice system tire them out. Most of them do not even understand its nitty gritties. The physical constraints of being in a courtroom wear them out. The lawyers on whom they depend to advocate for them and navigate the judicial complexities for them also cheat and exploit them as much as they possibly can. The result is a system teeming with corrupt individuals, each trying to get his own pound of flesh from these unknowing, unassuming, uninformed, misinformed and poor women.