The joy of ‘discovering’ something new daily is a pleasure in itself. The barrage of ideas each class greeted me with can never be appreciated well enough. This experience was far different from the dread of attending classes I had at my other academic institutions. From the classrooms to fortnightly meetings, the individual attention has helped me iron some of the flaws in my research work. The classroom discussions also helped me rediscover the passion to read and write things outside the law. It is said that to give shape to a piece of stone is simple. But to add specific details to the stone, so that it resembles a sculpture requires a sculptor.

It is my belief that in the short span of one year, the Professors at JGU have managed to turn the stone into something definitive and gave me a solid foundation for my professional career.

In 2020 I began a new chapter at JGU, this time as a faculty member. I teach with the aim of imparting the methods of wit and patience that I was fortunate to learn from my teachers and hope to encourage students to reach scale new heights and find the best versions of themselves.“

Shrija’s interests have always been art, music and animals. She was affiliated to the JGU Animal Welfare Society (AWS) throughout her journey at JGU, both as a volunteer and a board member.

Shrija shares “JGU, for me, is full of fond memories – from hanging out with my friends, playing frisbee with strangers, painting in random places, strolling with dogs around the campus, to rescuing all sorts of animals and birds and helping them find forever homes. All of it was so fulfilling.” She adds “As an institution, JGU has been a fundamental point of character development for me. I learned to see things from a new perspective here. The interdisciplinary structure of academia was a monumental pro because it was how I found out about the intersections between law and art. It was wonderful how that widened my outlook on all things related to art.”

“I believe that one should always stand up for those without a voice. In my opinion, kindness is that overlooked virtue that holds the power to be a catalyst for desired change. I was able to channel this belief and my love for animals at JGU. Becoming a part of the AWS has taught me patience and compassion – not just for animals but for people too. It was our job to balance the interests of students and the campus fauna, and we did our best. I am grateful for all the kind and not so kind interactions I have had as part of the AWS because, in some ways, it has made me who I am today.”

Reflecting on her experience with the online semester at JGU, she observes “It was quite a smooth transition. But what really stands out for me is the support I received from the institution, my peers and the administration when I lost my loved one to the pandemic – for that I will forever be grateful to JGU.”

Concluding, she notes “This was perhaps the greatest journey one could embark on which was transformational in all senses. Within those boundaries of JGU, I had found comfort and a home.”

Farhan says “I most associate JGU with freedom. As unfree as a JGU student might feel trapped in a campus at the edge of Sonipat, within the four walls of it, they can be whoever they would like to be and do whatever they would like to do. For many people, it becomes a space to experiment and to understand one’s own self.”

For them, undergraduate study at JGU was something akin to a rediscovery of the self and their surroundings. They say: “it haunted me with questions; questions that I would not have even been able to articulate if it were not for the faculty and peers there. JGU provided to me an environment where I could question myself and the things around me. I got to study far more than what is in the confines of my course manuals. I have had the wonderful experiences of faculty sitting with me for hours to discuss theological questions that had nothing to do with my studies; of leading me to books that shape my career even today; and of the support and encouragement from peers that has helped me come to terms with my identity. Jindal has fostered that freedom: of thought, expression and academic inquiry that pushes you to think of your studies as far more than just a means of acquiring a job.

I was quite frustrated with the idea of just studying law. Far more than practicing law in courts, I was interested in the history and philosophy behind laws and how people perceive them. The Law School’s policy that allows students to bid for electives in other schools has helped me a great deal with this. It allowed me to take wonderful electives from schools such as the International Affairs and Liberal Arts schools. The highly competent and kind faculty of the law school who taught me courses on history, literature, and jurisprudence, and that JGLS encourages a more critical study of legal concepts gave a satisfaction that I perhaps would have not received in any other law school. All this has equipped me with critical thinking that is essential for an aspiring academic such as myself.”

Farhan will soon be embarking for higher studies at Central European University, Vienna to pursue a career in academia.

We wish them the best!

After pursuing an undergraduate degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice, one may choose to pursue further specialization in the form of higher studies and build a career in academia and research. Specialization could be in Forensics, Law enforcement, Criminal Justice and Human Rights, Victimology, Penology, Crime and Sociology, etc. With a specialized degree, one may join teaching, research, policy making and be a part of academic institutes, national and international organizations, journalism, governmental and non-governmental research and policy making organizations, etc.

International organizations such as United Nations, Amnesty International, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, etc. have multiple research and implementation projects in various parts of the world that deal with aspects related to Criminology and Criminal Justice as well. With the increase in various forms of crime and need for victim support, rehabilitation and other form of policy actions, the presence and importance of such projects need no emphasis.

With respect to law enforcement, for those interested in police services, correctional services, civil services, investigative agencies, forensics can build their career by either joining these services via an entrance exam or get a further specialized education/ training

One may choose to contribute towards reduction in crime, better understanding of causes of crime, development of advanced methods of prevention of crime, framing of policies and law enforcement mechanism to provide redressal post commission of crime. At each stage, professionals and researchers are required globally. The importance of the same has increased with the advancement in commission of different forms of crime. For instance, with the increased use of technology and evolving nature of economy, new range of crimes such as cybercrimes and financial frauds have emerged.

With every such new development, the requirement for specialized knowledge, policies, application of forensic techniques, investigation strategy, reformative policies, etc. also emerge, which makes the field of criminology and criminal justice extremely important and evolving in its scope. Since the field of Criminology and Criminal Justice has its relevance across the globe, a career in the same can be built without jurisdictional restrictions.

Studying Gender Studies at an undergraduate degree introduces students to a plethora of opportunities. They acquire many transferable skills that are required by numerous jobs. Employers prefer candidates with a deep understanding of issues surrounding discrimination and equality and people who are equipped to work in a team or deal with diverse groups of people. During the course of their study, students learn to analyze and organize research data, gain critical thinking skills, become comfortable with public speaking and working with diverse groups of people. Such unique social skills make them valuable to many workplaces.

The distinctive perspective offered by a course on Gender Studies offers an edge to the graduates which aids them in multiple fields like Journalism, Film-making, Law, Social Media Managing, etc. More specialized career fields like Gender Consulting and Academia/Researching allow the graduates to work exclusively in the field of gender studies, researching the various issues surrounding diverse gender identities and advising clients regarding the most beneficial route to deal with those issues. Similar research and analysis work is involved in the field of Policymaking, where the role involves formulating gender positive policies and helping promote gender equality through the legislature.

Graduates can opt to work in the commercial field and pursue roles like Communications officer, Diversity officer, HR coordinator, etc. Such roles are also available at various International Organizations like the UN and UNICEF, some governmental organizations, and various NGOs. In addition to these, such International Organizations have human rights and gender specific projects where jobs such as Gender Analysist, Gender Specialist, Social Safeguards Advisor, Project Manager, etc. UN Entities like UN Women and YuWaah specifically focus on an intersection of human rights and gender identity struggles. Some organizations exclusively focus on spreading awareness and roles like educators of sexual health, inclusion, sexualized violence, anti-racism, etc., are great opportunities for learners of Gender Studies.

In addition to all these career prospects, graduates can opt to pursue higher studies and learn more about a specialized field within Gender Studies at a post-graduate level. These fields include Feminism, Masculinity, Queen Theory, Intersectionality, Gender and Sex, and so on. These learners can pursue a successful career in Academia and Scholarly Writing.

Gender Studies is an integral field of research which provides an incomparable approach to social situations, which is highly sought after by employers. This specialized course opens many doors of exciting opportunities to the graduates and enables them to pursue their field of interest while also making a social impact on the lives of people facing discrimination.

Human Rights is also one of the building blocks that has helped the world in creating the concept of “Democracy” and understanding how to administer a country in a peaceful manner. It is because of Human Rights that we as citizens understand that idea of individuality and respect each other.

There are several career options that one can think of while entering the field of Human Rights. A student choosing to study and specialise in Human Rights, can become an Advocate. Human Rights by its very name suggests that issues relating to the personal rights of people around the world are in dispute. Hence, people need and seek good lawyers to help them with their legal battles. Human Rights advocates can work at a local, national as well as international level. They can work as lawyers at NGOs, various intergovernmental organizations, law firms and for the government. To become a Human Rights advocate, one not only need to finish their specialization in Human Rights but also need to pass the law school and qualify for their bar exam. There are a variety of issues that a Human Rights advocate can practice in – for example: immigration rights, child rights, environmental rights, rights of refugees, war crimes, gender discrimination, etc. In order to be able to enter the world of Human Rights advocacy, one must have a concrete knowledge of all international human rights laws and the functionality of international courts.

If a student wants to contribute directly towards the development of Human Rights policies and enjoys communicating to masses, then they can choose the career of a Human Rights Campaigner. A Human Rights Campaigner is someone that creates, develops, and then promotes different Human Rights campaigns in order to generate awareness and reach the general public. Of course, Campaigners are required to have a certain skill set that goes beyond the knowledge about Human Rights laws and issues. The quality of using intelligible and catchy words and phrases that are commonly used by the public to whom he/she is addressing becomes imperative. Campaigners are often trained in gender-sensitive language and rhetoric, writing and inclusive design, and they know meticulously what resonates with their audiences. The Campaigners are basically the face of their organisation and possess great responsibilities upon their shoulders to ensure no wrong information or agenda is communicated to the public.

Many times students recognise that the power of education is beyond any other power that other practitioners of Human Rights have. Indeed, the source of any concept’s development is first done academically and then applied practically. For students who aspire to make the world a better place by creating educational tools, can choose to become Human Rights Educator and Researcher. A really strong hold of the pedagogy and epistemology of Human Rights become primal for this job. A Human Rights Educator need not be a teacher in a university or college, rather she/he can join an international or national organisation and while representing their organisation’s goals, they can educate the public in general. One of the main roles of a Human Rights Educator is to enable people to stand up for their rights and the rights of others, which makes this one of the most vital career paths in the human rights sector.

Slightly contrary to the job of a Human Rights Educator, a Human Rights Researcher is someone that has the responsibility of picking problems out and developing studies upon it, in order to help develop policies that could improve the condition of Human Rights in a demographic. The role of a Researcher is very intense as it requires a lot of investigation, conducting field trips, generating interviews and eventually drafting reports on the basis of their findings. Human Rights Researchers have a deep knowledge of human rights law and context in a particular country or region, and often specialise in specific topics or issues that have acquired deep expertise over the years. Human Rights Researchers monitor news reports, conduct interviews, use satellite imagery, and collect information using social media forensics and a variety of other sources. Some Human Rights researchers work in the office, while others go on field trips and participate in human rights missions to collect evidence. Human rights researchers work with others to produce reports of findings that human rights groups use as references.

One can work for powerful international organisations such as the United Nations and its agencies, Amnesty International, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. But the truest compensation in a Human Rights job is the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives all around the world, to effect positive change, and to speak up for what you believe is right.

Prof. Poulomi Bhadra brought into light the various advantages of Artificial Intelligence during the investigation process, like its potential to evolve and adapt to the changing and evolving crimes through machine learning and its benefits in Direct forensic analysis including fingerprinting and gunshot analysis.

AI is often referred to as a Multi-agent as it is equivalent to several manual power and is cheaper than trained personnel. AI technology plays a very beneficial role in facial recognition, as it can look through social media, or through CCTV cameras and make a detailed profile which will include the different hair styles a person might have had, the changes in their appearance due to age, and even account for any injuries, etc.

The objective of using AI is to analyze and correlate the data contained in the evidences of an investigation and present the most relevant evidence to the human examiner, thus reducing the amount of data to be analyzed.

Further two fascinating case studies were discussed: The Stockwell Shooting and the Brandon Mayfield case regarding pattern recognition. These studies highlighted the drawbacks of relying completely on AI and emphasized the importance of a person to verify that the computer has read the information properly and has arrived at the correct conclusion.

In conclusion, there are innumerable benefits of using AI technology and a growing need to rely on such technologies, however, there need to be checks and balances where a human being can verify the results arrived at by the AI. Cognitive reasoning is very essential to make sure no wrong decisions are made.

Dr. Upneet Lalli highlighted the use of new technology inside prisons with some captivating examples from all over the globe. Such technology is used for suicide prevention, keeping a check on illegal business, etc.

She then highlighted the role of social media in today’s crime. Social media can be used as a catalyst for criminal activities, with gangsters having social media accounts and more than 2 lakh followers, but can also have a positive impact through services such as E-filing of FIRs and circulation of live information through platforms such as twitter, Facebook etc.

This increase in the access to information helps the investigative bodies in identifying the offenders. It bridges the communication gap within the people and the investigators, and increases transparency. 

There is a pressing need to amend the legislation regarding the use of AI technology as currently it is insufficient. Technologies such as facial recognition give rise to privacy and discrimination concerns as citizens are being surveilled and recorded around the clock. Questions regarding the storage and use of this data collected need to be answered.

AI is also used as a preventative tool where it analyses people’s actions and assigns them a risk score. This risk score can be used to reduce the crime rate, within and outside prisons.

Crime prevention is one of the foremost reasons for the use of AI in the Criminal Justice System, through monitoring and risk assessment. AI is used to detect traffic accidents through CCTV surveillance, and online-related crimes including human trafficking, money laundering, fraud, and sexual abuse.

During the war and inter-war period, human torture and sufferings became one of the important mechanisms to show suppression over an enemy – the result was that war heroes and civilians suffered horrific conclusions to their lives. It was then that the world united and created the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that reinforced the value of human life and dignity.

Post war, during the 20^th Century, the world witnessed the second wave of Human Rights immerging. It is known that the pre-20^th Century era was a conjugation of Negative Laws while the 20^th Century was all about Positive Laws. In here the world witnessed Human Rights being dissolved into fundamental rights within the constitutional democracies.

Now that we are heading from the modern era to the global era, the world has become a smaller place. Everyone around the world is connected to each other via the internet and hence more mechanisms are available to announce one’s views on human rights publicly. In a world that is headed towards a concerning rise in nationalism, populism, and authoritarianism, human rights is increasingly becoming a concern that all of us have to deal with and guard vigilantly over the coming years[2].

Indeed, with the boom of globalization, several career options have also increased for those who aspire to become Human Rights specialists. Human Rights is a perfect area of study for those who want to make our world a better place. The best part about choosing Human Rights is because even if you don’t want to work at a global level, even national level work reflects on the society at large.

Students specializing in Human Rights get a chance to discover several career options. One can complete the BA (Hons.) in Human Rights and then become an Advocate of citizens’ rights, either nationally or internationally. Different areas such as law, health, education, business and many more welcome Human Rights enthusiasts with open arms. Some other career options relate to social service, research and development, governmental and non-governmental commissions and organizations, etc.

Given the versatile nature of Human Rights, as a career choice, students can merge number of their interests into a career option. For example, one with an interest in Human Rights and Sports, can aspire to join various national and international sporting organizations and help develop policies that benefit the athletes at large.

Human rights professionals work in social service organizations, international organizations, government agencies, law firms, and even businesses. They also work in countries all over the world, fighting for positive change towards the protection of rights for vulnerable groups and better accountability for governments.

By choosing to study an undergraduate course in Human Rights, students get an exclusive opportunity to stay focused on their passion and specific research and field works. This also enhances the quality of skill and knowledge development of a student considering the specialized nature of the course from the undergraduate level.

[1] ‘Why Study Human Rights?’ (Human Rights Careers, 2022) <https://www.humanrightscareers.com/magazine/why-study-human-rights/#:~:text=Studying%20human%20rights%20can%20lead%20to%20a%20variety%20of%20careers,also%20require%20several%20different%20skills.> accessed 16 May 2022.

[2] Ibid

The entire process that starts when a crime is committed is a complex one and involves multiple stakeholders in the form of victim(s), offender(s), police administration, lawyers, public prosecutor, judges, correctional services, etc.  Each of the sub-fields within criminology presents an opportunity to deeply understand the different aspects of the process and contribute by creating a robust system in place to address the challenges posed by commission of an offence.

Under Criminology, both the theoretical and practical underpinnings have relevance as they provide deeper understanding of the concept of crime. The identification of crime, its causes, social circumstances, impact on the society, scope for offender’s reformation, victim’s rehabilitation, and economy in crime control, are few such crucial aspects that are addressed in the field of Criminology.

Criminal Justice provides a strong foundation to address the functionalities related to commission of a crime and the procedure that follows. The framing of substantive and procedure law is an essential component of criminal justice system to ensure the framework within which the crime is addressed is sturdy. Other such important aspects include public prosecution, sentencing, correctional services, investigation, etc.

With the advent of technology, the methods of committing crime are continuously evolving and becoming more dangerous than ever. Social media platforms provide an easy access to the offenders, which is being misused rapidly in the form of cyber-crime. There have been reports of incarcerated criminals using internet and smart phones from inside the prison cells to continue engaging in criminal activity in the outside world.  However, this new technology is also a bane for the crime investigators as devices such as facial recognitions cameras, biometric analysis systems, traffic light cameras, monitoring devices, etc., assist them in analysing the big data quicker and finding patterns that would have been difficult and time consuming for a human being to do. Criminal Justice, in addition to formulating a legal mechanism to deal with criminal activity, also addresses the legal concerns that arise by using such devices such as infringement of the right to privacy.

The advent of the fourth Industrial Revolution has impacted the field of Criminology and Criminal Justice greatly. While this field has been on the forefront since decades, it is now expanding more than ever, making it necessary and beneficial for students to learn its several nuances and adopt a successful career trajectory in the same.