Prof. (Dr.) S.L. Vaya is the Director of School of Criminology and Behavioral Sciences, Rashtriya Raksha University (An Institution of National Importance) earlier known as Raksha Shakti University, a Pioneering Security and Police University of India at Dahegam, Gandhinagar, Gujarat. She previously worked as the Director, Institute of Research & Development & Professor at Raksha Shakti University. She worked on new domains like Neurocriminology, Forensic Assessment Interviews, Dermatoglyphic personality profiling, validation study of Farwell’s brain fingerprinting technology and many more small projects. She started PhD program at Raksha Shakti University from August 2014 and in the first batch 13 students were registered for PhD on document examination, fingerprint analysis, forensic toxicology, cyber security, digital forensics, forensic psychology and police science. By 2016, 25 PhD scholars are registered at RSU. She also worked as the Dean and Director of Institute of Behavioural Sciences (IBS), Gujarat Forensic Sciences University (GFSU) for three years. She was first to start M.Phil. in Clinical Psychology approved by RCI in Gujarat, M.Phil. in Forensic Psychology and PG Diploma in Forensic Psychology in India. She established Buddha Psychological Services and extended services to school children with Specific Learning Disabilities and services for the rehabilitation of convicted prisoners’ services at Sabarmati Central Prison. She worked as Additional Director for three years, Deputy Director for 9 years, Assistant Director Lie detector for 15 years before her retirement at Directorate of Forensic Science (DFS), Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Prior to that worked as professional Clinical Psychologist for 8 years at Mental Health Institutes and Medical Colleges. She was appointed as Licensing Subcommittee member of Licensing Authority of Mental Health Act, 1987, by Government of Gujarat for four years and as Non-Official Member, State Mental Health Authority, Government of Gujarat for four years.
Dr. S. L. Vaya established the Forensic Psychology division at FSL, Ahmedabad in 1988 and is the pioneer of Forensic Psychology in India. She developed procedures and methodologies of all advanced technologies related to suspect interrogations in Gujarat. For comprehensive forensic analysis of the suspect’s behavior, she used forensic statement analysis, crime scene profiling, behavior profiling, forensic psychological assessment, polygraph examination, Narcoanalysis, Brain signature profiling, suspect detection system and Layered Voice Analysis and reported both criminal and civil cases. She was handling technical, legal & administrative aspects as head of forensic psychology division for 28 years. She has examined nearly 5000 cases using techniques like polygraph examination, narcoanalysis, brain signature profiling, suspect detection system, layered voice analysis, psychological profiling, forensic statement analysis, criminal profiling and reported cases for CID-crime, CBI, IB, Revenue, and ATS from Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, M.P, U.P, Manipur, Port Blair, Kolkata, Jammu and Kashmir in addition to Gujarat. She has appeared as expert witness in criminal trials in various sessions’ courts of Gujarat, Kerala, Hyderabad, Ghaziabad, Indore, Ajmer, and Ranchi including CBI courts. Few highprofile cases reported are Madhumita Shukla case, Gutka case, Nithari serial killing, Aarushi-Hemraj double murder, Ujjain serial killing, Ranchi multiple murder, fake stamp scam, lion poaching in Gujarat. Cases reported from Raksha Shakti University include midday meal tragedy of Bihar. She established National Resource Center for Forensic Psychology at DFS, Gandhinagar.
She is the first NABL Accredited Forensic Psychologist in India for Polygraph Examination, Narcoanalysis and Brain signature Profiling. NABL appointed her as technical expert for onsite assessment of lie detector unit to SFSL Andhra Pradesh, CFSL CBI New Delhi, and Forensic Science Laboratory, Madhuban, Haryana.
She has assisted family courts and lok adalats as reconciliatory. As Deputy Director at FSL, Ahmedabad and DFS Gandhinagar for 9 (nine) years, she was technical & administrative Head supervising 14 divisions; chemistry, toxicology, blood alcohol, prohibition possession, narcotics and explosives, physics, ballistics, biology, serology, DNA, document and Photography, forensic psychology, fingerprint bureau and mobile crime scene units before promoted as Additional Director.
She has been invited as Guest speaker to National Judicial Academy Bhopal, Gujarat Judicial Academy, Bar Council of Gujarat and Maharashtra Judicial Academy, National Police Academy at Hyderabad, Karai Police Academy at Gujarat, CBI Academy at Ghaziabad, Maharashtra Police Academy at Nasik, Moradabad Police academy at U.P, NICFS, New Delhi. She is invited as Guest speaker at Jnana Gangotri, Bangalore University, law department Jammu University, NIMHANS, Bangalore, Kuvempu University, Shimoga, XLRI, Jamshedpur.
She is a recognized PhD guide for forensic and clinical psychology at NIRMA University, Forensic & Behavioural Sciences at Raksha Shakti University & Amity University- Rajasthan. PhD guide in forensic and behavioral science at GFSU from 2011-2013. She has published number of articles in national and international journals on forensic evaluations, forensic psychology and crime investigation. She was instrumental in starting certificate course in forensic psychology at NIMHANS, Bangalore in collaboration with DFS, Gandhinagar and DFS, MHA, New Delhi. She was in charge of the TIFACDST project on normative data for BEOS profiling and Principal Investigator of NRC project of MHA, New Delhi.
At present, Dr. S. L. Vaya is a member of Research Advisory Board, B.M. Institute of Mental Health, Ahmedabad; Member of National Central Council Member constituted by NIMHANS, Bangalore & was invited as Guest of Honor for the inauguration. Visiting Faculty at Forensic Science Department, Gujarat University, Nirma Institute of Law, CoInvestigator of a CSIR project at Psychology department of Kolkata University, Resource person to Gujarat Judicial Academy, National Police Academy, Hyderabad and North Eastern Police Academy (NEPA), Shillong Dr. S. L. Vaya is a RCI recognized professional Clinical Psychologist by training, pioneer of Forensic Psychology & Neurocriminology in India. By innovation and experience of forty years, a Forensic Scientist & Forensic-Clinical Psychologist.
You were working as a Clinical Psychologist before joining Directorate of Forensic Science (DFS), Gandhinagar, Gujarat. What inspired you to join the Forensic domain during those early days?
From mid-70s to mid-80s, for a span of 8 years, I worked as Clinical Psychologist in two Medical College Hospitals, one Mental Health Institute and one Hospital for Mental Health. As a Clinical Psychologist, I scripted case histories at Outpatient Departments in a General Hospital, carried out diagnostic assessments and rarely therapy cases were referred. I took few classes to undergraduate medical students and nursing students.
During those years, B. M. Institute of Mental Health was an institute of international repute for psychoanalytical psychotherapy. I was deeply impressed with the philosophy and exceptional team work culture of the institute. Way back in 1977, I took initiative in a proactive manner and pressed to introduce behaviour modification to treat autistic children much against the philosophy of the institute. In few adult cases, at outpatient level, I could also use behaviour therapy.
Later, I worked at Hospital for Mental Health, Ahmedabad for five long years and realised my limited role and felt that my services as a Clinical Psychologist, was underutilized. Though I was trained to handle variety of mental health issues during my professional training, the understanding that I acquired in those five years brought me face to face with the realities and gave me an insight about the limited opportunities. I made an attempt to introduce group therapy with token economy program for chronic schizophrenics and I first noticed an appreciation amongst other team members that there was more to the professional expertise of a clinical psychologist than just administering IQ Tests or Rorschach or TAT. However, it was acceptable only when the team leader desired. As a team member in mental health sector, report and opinion of the clinical psychologist played a key role in decision making process. Even then, services of clinical psychologist depended on the need of the team leader, than the client. As an emerging energetic professional, I was inquisitive as to why a clinical psychologist was neglected in the mental health setup and was curious to find answers. Though all cases admitted for observation required a thorough assessment with regular sessions and consistent rapport as a prerequisite for observation, and objective evaluation from the clinical psychologist point of view, selected few cases were referred for IQ assessment or Rorschach or TAT. To the extent, it was the prerogative of the medical officer/psychiatrist to refer the cases for the assessment. Services of Clinical Psychologist were accessed on the basis of the team leader’s need rather than actual needs of the clients. Then, I realized that Clinical Psychologist had minimal access to the patient compared to a Medical Officer or a Psychiatrist. There was no independent authority ensured to clinical psychologists in the legal ambits for the functioning in Mental Health Act (1987). The lack of administrative provision and authority in legal ambit to recognise the independent role of Clinical Psychologist and lack of codification in the Mental Health Act 1987 was the impediment which I recognized after working as Clinical Psychologist. It was a period of insight to the fact that, direct referral from sources other than the team leader were perceived as threat and intrusion in the boundaries. It exposed me face to face with the realities of working conditions having limited opportunities. To provide services directly to the clients or clients to have direct access to the benefit of my services, autonomy was needed; which I felt was possible only by widening the reach of the discipline. I had hardly come to terms with this reality and an opportunity diverted me away from the mental health sector.
I was appointed as an Assistant Director (Class I Gazetted post), Lie Detector Unit at Forensic Science Laboratory, Ahmedabad in 1984. Upon my joining, immediate duty was to answer few ugly LAQs regarding the purchase of a lie detector in 1978 which was not in working condition. My subordinate Class. II officer appointed six months prior to me was aiming for my post and was disappointed when she was not selected. She challenged my selection in the High Court of Gujarat where the case remained pending until her retirement in 2004. With these hurdles, I was vested with the responsibility to head the lie detection division that had no instrument in working condition, with LAQs, court case against my appointment only to be compounded. As an administrative requirement to get an old non-working polygraph repaired took two long years and another two years to get administrative approval to purchase a new polygraph. With these administrative and technical hurdles, experience of mental health sector became my strength to explore the untouched terrain of suspect interrogation which inspired in pioneering Forensic Psychology in India.
As the key person who established the Forensic Psychology division at DFS Gandhinagar & head of the division for about 28 years, what challenges were encountered by you while capacity building of the division?
Empirical Studies in Suspect Interrogation from 1985 to 1988 wherein more than 150 cases were registered to Lie detector division were clinically interviewed and subjected for pulse graph recording for the detection of deception. This endeavour from 1985 to 1988 and the experience of working as visiting clinical psychologist to Sabarmati Central Prison during the same period helped in integrating clinical interview and findings of psychological assessments to suspect interrogations. Clinical approach was merged with investigative skills to examine the suspects which resulted in emergence of forensic interview technique.
As a procedure while examining all crime suspects, information was gathered in a pretest forensic interview followed by forensic psychological assessments before subjecting them for pulse graph recording for detection of deception. This procedure helped in gathering valuable information in addition to identifying truthfulness or deceptiveness in questions. Earlier polygraph examinations indicated only deception/no deception in limited questions.
Psychologist in Courtroom: The most visible ramification of replacing “interrogation” with “clinical interview of the suspects” followed by forensic psychological assessments with informed consent before polygraph examinations in crime investigation started yielding satisfactory answers to the investigator aiding suspect interrogations. Whenever the Forensic Psychologist’s reports were produced before the court, the first question that came up was where is the legal provision? Who has given the authority to the expert to do this? Is there a provision in law for investigation? Lack of legal provisions often became the hurdle. These questions stir up the insight gained from my experience as Clinical Psychologist and necessitated me to work towards legal and administrative provisions to be made for the growth of profession in the long run to ensure the voice of professional expert reach right authorities. As a result, a proposal with aims and objectives to establish Forensic Psychology division was perused with Home Department, Government of Gujarat and to make a provision in the Gujarat Police Manual to utilize the services of Psychologists appointed in Lie Detector Division. In the year 1988, Government of Gujarat issued an order on 01/10/1988 to establish forensic psychology division in forensic science laboratory by renaming the lie detection division. Subsequently, Home department passed a resolution on 19/9/1992, wherein correction slip No.8 was incorporated in Gujarat Police Manual 1975, Volume 3, and Chapter 5, which reads as follows:
Rule-170 (6): insert after 170(6)-a new clause as follows: “In important crimes wherein no direct evidence is available and it is suspected that witnesses/ suspects are suppressing the truth, the investigating officer can avail the facility of scientific techniques of interrogation of such persons through the lie detection, hypnosis, etc., at the forensic science laboratory in their forensic psychology division and other scientific means available with them”. (Authority: Home departments letter number, GPM-1092-1041-B, dated 15/9/92).
Thus, Forensic Science Laboratory of Government of Gujarat was the first to establish Forensic Psychology Division in India.
To develop forensic psychology as a profession in all the states of India and at Central Forensic Laboratories (CFSLs), the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India declared Forensic Psychology division of DFS, Gandhinagar as “National Resource Center for Forensic Psychology (NRC)” in the year 2004. What were the objectives of the NRC & notable results achieved through the NRC Project?
Lie Detection division was started with one Junior scientific assistant, one scientific officer and one Assistant Director when I joined in 84. This number did not increase even after it was expanded to Forensic Psychology Division. The burden of casework was not only from Gujarat, but we had started assisting, CBI, NIA and other state and central agencies in suspect interrogation. But there was no increase in the manpower to assist in case work, carry out research and document the enormous amount of work done to report cases. The only option left was to put up a research project. To be precise, the aim of the project proposal was to get more manpower to assist in suspect interrogations to reduce the burden in case work. Objective of research was documentation which was needed even from the point of view of requirement for court evidence. Thus, the only option left was to take up research project to generate financial assistance to recruit manpower to assist in coping with the workload. Thus, a research project proposal for developing a National Resource centre of Forensic Psychology was sent to Chief Forensic Scientist, DFS, MHA, Government of India for 38 lakhs for three years which got sanctioned. The three basic objectives of NRC were research, training & documentation of the case work done in Forensic Psychology division of DFS, Gandhinagar. National level training programs were conducted for investigating officers, judicial officers and forensic experts of the country regarding the scientific aids used in suspect interrogations. NRC Project employees helped in documentation, training and publication of the report & through NRC project fund facility, minor OT for narcoanalysis at DFS Gandhinagar was established. Notable achievement was FSL Karnataka, FSL Mumbai, and other state laboratories started taking initiative to establish forensic psychology division. NIA, CFSL CBI also changed their Lie Detector Division to Forensic Psychology Division.
Were there any instances, when you were called for inspecting the crimes scenes by the IO/Police Unit?
You will be surprised to know; I have not visited a single crime scene till date. In two cases of CBI when a request came to visit crime scene, the Scientific Officer working in the division that time was deputed to visit the crime scene. But I was clear from the beginning that crime scene remains preserved in the mind-body realm of the perpetrator, witness & victim even after crime scene becomes corrupt with passage of time. Though all other physical, biological and chemical evidences are lost with time, crime scene remains preserved in the mind-body realm of accused and victims permanently. So, for me using technologies and developing methods to extract crime scene information by tapping the mind through suspect interview was of passion and interest to work with. The Junior Scientific Assistant of Forensic Psychology division was trained and was promoted as Scientific officer to visit crime scenes.
After the laboratory tests which includes polygraph examination, narcoanalysis, brain signature profiling, suspect detection system, layered voice analysis, psychological profiling, forensic statement analysis, criminal profiling of the suspects in a case, you might have been called in the court of law on many instances to testify about a particular case either from the Prosecutor/Defence side. What challenges were encountered by you while giving your opinion in the court? Did the Honourable Judge of the respective Courts seem convinced of the techniques used and your work given the context of the case? What were some of the misconceptions about the field in the court setting?
In the initial years, the Public prosecutors representing remained silent in court rooms and defence lawyers used to be aggressive. We failed to understand that process. Slowly, Courts also taught me as to how to depose as expert and with experience, I realized we are expert witnesses to the court and not to the public prosecutor or defence lawyer. It also helped me in learning and understanding (the ball game of criminal trials in court) that irrespective of the court judgment, my role is only to ensure that all documentation done in interviewing and examining a suspect should get the status of an exhibit in the court in my deposition. This helped in slowly getting the support of the court. Meanwhile Lectures delivered in judicial and police academies had contributed in great way in sensitizing them about the procedure followed in carrying out these tests, competence of the expert, corroboratory evidential value of these technologies. By then NRC training programs became a boost at national level for all courts to accept the testimony of Forensic Psychologists. Initial misconception was everything is concluded by technology, and thus courts were interested always in knowing the percentage of reliability of the results and opinion. Slowly and gradually awareness grew about technologies and opinions that they are there to assist the court to come to a conclusion aiding their judgments and are not substitutes. Few courts wherein I have appeared as expert witness have admitted the reports and opinion as corroboratory supporting evidence details of which are there in NRC project report submitted to Chief Forensic Scientist, MHA, Government of India.
Various high-profile cases have been handled by you during the course of the time. Some of them are: Madhumita Shukla case, Gutka case, Nithari serial killing, Aarushi-Hemraj double murder, Ujjain serial killing, Ranchi multiple murder, fake stamp scam, lion poaching in Gujarat, & midday meal tragedy of Bihar. How different was that experience to deal with them than that of normal cases?
For me all of them were regular crime cases, they became high profile because of media hype and as an expert for me all of them were only crime cases of different types, but each of them was unique in its own way.
You are the first NABL Accredited Forensic Psychologist in India for Polygraph Examination, Narcoanalysis and Brain signature Profiling & also appointed as a technical expert for onsite assessment of lie detector unit to Andhra Pradesh SFSL, CFSL, CBI, New Delhi, and Forensic Science Laboratory, Madhuban, Haryana by NABL. What were some of the responsibilities in this role entrusted to you by the NABL?
As technical Expert to NABL assessments, responsibility was to ensure that the Psychologists/ scientists working are qualified, trained and competent to carry out the examination they are are appointed for. To check whether the procedural manuals are in place, followed meticulously while carrying out examination and the expert claiming expertise is trained and competent to carry out that examination, write report & to stand the trial in the court.
Most of the professionals working at various Crime Labs/FSLs are overburdened by the casework. But you managed to indulge into research work in spite of all this. How did you make it possible?
Forensic Psychologists are the only experts of Forensic Science Laboratories who directly deal with crime suspects (live). In all other divisions of Forensic Science Laboratories, biological, toxicological, physical or chemical examinations are carried out on samples collected and received in the laboratory and they don’t deal with live subjects. Thus, the nature of work itself is very different in Forensic Psychology division. As every human being is unique, you cannot have a control sample to compare the results in live cases. Control studies need to be designed to each person examined individually while examining the suspect for crime investigation. Thus, one needs to spend a lot of quality time on each suspect personally to interview the suspect, elicit information, carryout psychological assessments, design the control tests before finally designing test probes for crime under investigation. It’s like working in OPD services evaluating and assessing a person in his own right with reference to the issue he has been referred for.
For your exemplary contribution to Forensic Psychology field, you might have received various appreciation letters, awards & recognition. What are some of them?
Commendation certificate in 2004 for “achieving excellence in providing forensic science support service to crime investigation” by Deputy Union Home Minister Shri. L. K Advani. AMITY University, Noida and AIIMS, New Delhi honoured with “Award of Excellence” in SAFCON -2008. Prestigious Union Home Ministers award, MHA, Govt of India for meritorious services with a cash award of Rs, 25000 for the outstanding contribution in the field of forensic physical sciences in December 2010. Kang oration Lecture award by Indian Association of Clinical Psychologists in 2011. Forensic Clinical Psychology award for 2015 which was conferred in 2016. Same year in 2016, Indian Association of Clinical Psychologists instituted S. L. Vaya Forensic Psychology award. Indian Association of Clinical Psychologists Honoured at Golden jubilee celebration in 2018 with “50 years & 50 icons” award. Prestigious Union Home Ministers Life Time Achievement Award was conferred (with one lakh cash) MHA, Govt of India in February 2018.
How have you dealt with the 5000+ cases using different Psychological methods and interviewing numerous suspects of different cases? Was there any moment when all these might have affected your personal life?
My family members have compromised a lot (Specially my two lovely children) to facilitate me working and of course there was no social life. Every experience of dealing with a person evolved me to become a better human being by accepting my own flaws to outside world. This inspired me to understand myself better and helped in my own evolution. Every Experience in a new learning. Where there is a will, there is a way also.
What difference do you find while working in the academics to that of the Forensic lab setting? Various PG programmes like M. Phil in Clinical Psychology, M. Phil in Forensic Psychology and PG Diploma in Forensic Psychology were stated for the first time in India by you. How demanding was it to introduce such courses?
Working in lab setup is more demanding compared to academic setting. As I have moved from field to academics, all academic programs started are need based and it has helped in saving the time in market survey to explore the scope.
Are the older techniques and methods of suspect interrogation for extracting the desired information from the suspects flawless? How reliable are these methods taking the changing time into consideration?
At least in India, suspect interrogations were carried out only by police officers, no professional psychologists and forensic laboratories were involved in suspect interviews, psychological assessments in crime investigations though CFSL, CBI was carrying out lie detector examinations. With the advancement of digital technology, Psychophysiology, electrophysiology and neuroscience have contributed in evolving technologies to identify malicious intent. These advanced technologies for detection of deception & identification of malicious intent have almost reached to Daubert standards and automatically procedures followed in adapting them to suspect interrogations have gone through a complete change.
As the first responders and the IO of the case are Police personnel, how can the psychological interrogation training help the police in the case? What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a trained police officer in the field?
Only complex and complicated cases are generally referred to suspect interrogation. Not all crime suspects are subjected for any kind of psychological assessment or psychological methods of interrogation. Training police personnel has helped in creating awareness about the difference between interrogation & interview and the value of psychological assessment in helping the suspect either in preventing or in helping him to develop an insight to the consequences of the path or in rehabilitating to reduce recidivism. Technologies are used only as adjuncts to Forensic Psychological assessments which became more corroboratory and supportive to their investigative findings in complex, unsolved crime cases. It has added value for their unsolved complex crimes. There is no disadvantage in training them, rather their orientation and approach to handle crime suspects has brought in lots of change in their attitude in addressing crime suspects with respect and dignity. It has also helped in changing mind set the senior level officers and one example is one of the IPS officer registered for PhD and has adapted forensic assessment interview technique for crime investigation while interviewing the suspects and accused and has been awarded PhD also.
Many researches have been undertaken by researchers in the field and newer techniques of suspect interrogation have come to light. What are some of the things to be considered while experimenting and devising new methods for use in Forensic Psychology?
Every individual in unique in his thinking, feeling and behaving and accordingly each crime suspect’s thinking, feeling & behaving is unique. Effort of Forensic Psychologists is only to understand suspect’s thinking, feeling behaviour pattern with reference to the specific crime scene in question to establish his role using different technologies.
Three Centres of Excellence (CoE) namely CoE for Cyber Psychology with CIIPS, CoE for Dermatoglyphics Profiling with CFMID, CoE for Child Protection with UNICEF have been setup under the School of Criminology and Behavioural Sciences at Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU), An Institution of National Importance, Gandhinagar, Gujarat. What are the objectives for the CoEs? How will it help the Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) & the society at large?
The Centre of Excellence for Cyber Psychology works for providing awareness on communication including how it changes the meaning with our modern ways of conveying, how the communication on social media has a positive and negative impact on the minds of children, family, friends and communicators. Present ways of communication are landing them to various difficulties resulting in behaviours which are not prosocial. This centre conducts online courses in cyberpsychology for 10+2 students, corporates, professionals to help in understanding the interface of technology, social communicators, and its impact on the thoughts, feelings, emotions resulting in unwanted behaviour. This centre also provides mental health service to the cyber victims, cyber perpetrators, who have been referred to for cyber bullying, threatening, harassment problems.
“Centre of Excellence for Dermatoglyphics Analysis”: “Dermatoglyphics is the study of ridged skin pattern which can be found on fingers, palms, toes and soles (Plato et.al 1991). Fingerprint pattern are consistent throughout the life time, unless the forms of disturbances are introduced in the genetic composition. From then onwords, scientists incorporated dermatoglyphics, genetics, neural science and embryology with the theory of multiple intelligence (Gardner, 1993). With the help of these, a person’s personality and hidden talent can be evaluated and classified consequently. Thus, a research centre is established to carryout interdisciplinary research in the area of dermatoglyphics which can help in identifying physical illnesses, disorders, disabilities and deviance in addition inborn potential. Centre is also dedicated to developing and providing the best computer assisted behavioural assessment, analysis and diagnostic aids based on the study of Dermatoglyphics. The aim and objective for setting up a ’Centre of Excellence for Dermatoglyphics Analysis’ is to carryout psychometric research to scientifically assess & validate the existing assessment of inborn talent through Dermatoglyphics and to develop a prototype combining psychometric test with dermatoglyphics to assess the inborn talent for career guidance and personality assessment. The direct beneficiaries of this technology are counsellor and consultants working in the area of Recruitment, education, parenting and child development sectors. The centre also provides research writing and publishing consultancy on dermatoglyphics analysis. The research centre also aims at assessing the inborn talent of prison convicts/undertrials, and juveniles based on which Reasoning & Rehabilitation program can be introduced (Neurocriminology module) to correct the prison inmates both undertrials & convicts and to rehabilitate the juveniles to permanently divert them from following the path of deviance
The Centre of Excellence for Child Protection (CECP) in collaboration with The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is committed to providing a safe present and safer future to the children, through comprehensive training, exhaustive research, integrated education and avid extension. Centre of Excellence for Child Protection is a UNICEF sponsored centre setup. The first ever interaction with police is when any person comes in contact with law. There are duties and conduct, a police officer needs to maintain as a criminal justice service provider. In this scenario of community policing, we still rely on archaic laws dealing even with children of the nation. This particular course under CECP tries to separate some notions and bring in the news ones for the amelioration of the young minds. The course also provide an overview on how police personnel could be sensitive and check their behavioural conduct while dealing with cases involving children. The vulnerable & still in-making minds of kids are vital to fathom in order to provide them a safe present & safer future. The Centre of Excellence for Child Protection, RRU (in partnership with UNICEF) is planning a 5-days professional development capsule course for the Special Juvenile Police Unit in India.
Having worked for more than 4 decades in the Forensic Psychology Domain, do you still wish to contribute to this domain? How?
Yes, very much. All human beings are born with inborn potentials and its everyone’s right to get a favourable environment to realise the potential. From this angle, disorders, deviance and disabilities needs to be addressed alike normal persons. This calls for Assessment, diagnosis, therapy, counselling, & rehabilitation/ correction to all civil and criminal cases alike as for as handling their disorders, disabilities and deviance alike by mental health professionals by providing out door services to bring back wellbeing in the society.
What’s your mantra of life?
Evolution of self is possible only by experiencing other’s needs, desires, motivations, & intentions as one’s own and accepting their flaws as one’s own to become a better human being is a learning till you are alive.
—————————————————————————————————————
The interview was first published in Forensic Reporter, Legal Desire April Issue 2021.
