NCJ Number
104393
Date Published
1985
Length
204 pages
Annotation
Eight essays on crime and criminality in British India explore the rising incidence of banditry (dacoity) after the permanent settlement of 1793, banditry and rebellion in Western India in the 19th century, the institutionalization and effects of a 'criminal tribes' ideology, and British definitions of crime in India and the policing infrastructure.
Abstract
The introductory essay highlights issues and themes in the historical investigation of crime and criminality and discusses initial probings into the 'criminal' past of British India. The essay on increasing banditry after the permanent settlement of 1793 attributes it to the eroding moral basis of the agrarian order in Bengali. The study of banditry and rebellion in Western India in the 19th century identifies bandits whose actions were perceived by rural peasants as heroic rebellion. The next essay, which traces crime trends in Madras Province between 1858 and 1947, relates them to crime control ideology and organization, followed by an essay on British efforts to 'civilize' the non-Hindu Konds tribe, which practiced human sacrifice. Two essays focus on institutionalization of a 'criminal tribes' ideology and its effects on the people so designated. The concluding essay on British definitions of crime in India and the infrastructure created to control it discusses authority, power, and moral influence in Indian society. 3 figures, 2 data tables, chapter notes, and subject index.