Social Work in the thematic field of Criminology and Justice provides immense opportunity to examine and work with actors and institutions dealing with crime, law and justice from a rights-based perspective.

The program is being offered with the assumption that the students opting this programme will be exposed to the dynamics and complexities of deviance and crime from diverse world-views and will develop capacities to critically reflect on the criminal justice system across the country.

Today, the Indian justice system is characterised by innumerable arrests, overcrowded jails, and courts with lakhs of pending cases.

The role of social workers in this context needs to be emphasised.

They can play a key role in engaging with the State actors and the victim groups in ensuring justice and accessing rehabilitative structures.

They need to interface with a diversity of issues in practice situations.

They can be involved in a range of interventions such as counselling, liaison with the family/community structures and the administration, providing outreach services, pre-litigation work, conflict resolution, and community-based rehabilitation work.

Job prospects in this field include positions in criminal and regulatory law enforcement agencies, correctional institutions, homeland security, juvenile detention, counselling and supervision, victim services and victim advocacy.

With years of work experience, professionals in this field may also qualify for professional positions in legal practice; teaching; policy research, counselling or therapy, and as forensics experts.