’Criminals can be victims too’

The word “victim” used to be synonymous with “avenger”. In ancient societies, the wronged person could exact revenge on those responsible. Since then, the term, with its roots in the Latin “victima” (sacrificial offering), has evolved over and over. Most recently, it has been replaced by “survivor”, to indicate a shift in focus, from dwelling on vulnerability to dwelling on strength and a life beyond the crime.

In the criminal justice system, however, the focus is rarely on the survivor, says behavioural scientist Sanjeev P Sahni, also principal director of the Jindal Institute of Behavioural Sciences (JIBS), Sonipat. “The focus is almost exclusively on the criminal and the crime. Surviving victims are treated primarily as witnesses, instead of stakeholders in the process of justice delivery.”

In July, Sahni took office as vicepresident of the World Society of Victimology, an international NGO headquartered in Germany that focuses on advancing research in the field. Excerpts from an interview.

How did you become interested in victimology?

I grew up in the small town of Kandaghat in Himachal Pradesh, where I began to view women construction workers there as the primary victims of poverty and of an unequal society. Then, as a criminal psychologist, I encountered rape survivors and felt all over again that the onus on these women was too great. I wanted to study victimology to see how we as a society could empower victims, making them stakeholders in the justice system.

What is changing, in this field?

New areas of victimology are emerging, such as green victimology (environmental harm that affects an individual in a physical, emotional, mental or financial capacity). There are efforts being made to recognise transgenerational victimology (predicated on aspects such as caste, tribal status, race).

What change would you like to see when it comes to victimology?

As a society, I think it’s important to acknowledge that a criminal can be a victim too. In 2010, I attended a conference hosted by the World Society of Victimology in Mito, Japan, where I presented a paper on terrorists being victims who create more victims, which sparked an interesting debate. Few people agreed with me, but these are discussions we need to have.

You speak of prison reform as a vital aspect too…

I have visited prisons across India in the course of my research, and I have found that, once in prison, criminals seem to exchange the information they came in with for information on how to commit crimes more effectively. There simply needs to be a lot more focus on psychological support and sensitive rehabilitation into society once they have served their sentences.