Social defence

Social defence is generally understood as the protection of society against

crime through a systematically organized and coherent action by both the State and

civil society. Though this term has long been in use in the criminological and

penological literature, the modes and modalities of achieving its inherent objective

have been shifting with the advancement in social sciences and behavioural

disciplines. Even today, because of the complexity of issues involved, it has not been

possible to evolve a wholly satisfactory theoretical framework for policy formulation

and programme development in this field. It is true that crime is essentially an

offshoot of the disorganizational process of society itself and, as such, it is difficult of

visualize a system that could completely neutralize an ‘aggression’ which originates

from within. Then, in the absence of any fool-proof theory of crime causation, it is

beyond human capacity to create a society entirely free from crime. Moreover, the

definition of crime itself may vary from country to country and within the same

country from time to time, in keeping with the changes in social structure, cultural

values and normative expectations and no single system can hold good for different

situations. Despite this position, there is a candid awareness that the objective behind

social defence cannot be realized merely by focussing on individuals who are

recognized as offenders; it inevitably requires also reaching out to those who are

vulnerable to crime. Thus, the social defence approach aims not only at perfecting the

system that deals with offenders but also at forestalling conditions that generate

criminality. In this process, it closely interacts with various sectors of socio-economic

development in creating an environment conducive to the prevention of crime and in

mobilizing resources appropriate for the treatment and rehabilitation of offenders in

the totality of their life situations.