It would be wrong to view punishment only in the context of what it means to the individual offender. It is equally necessary to consider the role of punishment in terms of what it should mean to the society. Since we have not yet reached a stage where we can totally eliminate the concept of punishment it is necessary to recognise that the social purpose of punishment is to create social solidarity. I am aware that this view may not find general acceptance, but I am sure many of you will agree that any act which violates the social code has to be punished not as a measure of retribution but in order to restore order, because it is the only way in which group solidarity can be maintained.
In emphasising the need for social solidarity and reinforcement of social norms it is far from my intention to ignore the concept of reformation of the criminal or discourage the growth of healthy interest in him. The difficulty arises because although we are able to identify some of the criminogenic factors in society we are still apparently groping in the dark as to why of two persons similarly placed, one would take to crime and the other would shun it. Since formulation of social defence programmes cannot wait indefinitely for the perfection of our knowledge, we are forced to make theoretical assumptions on the basis of which our present policies and programmes in the field of social defence are founded. In the circumstances, there arises the need for a proper understanding of the meaning of crime in terms of criminal law, social structure and social change, and it is from this plank that research programmes have to be designed and executed. Confronted as we are with rapid increases in crime and emergence of new forms of anti-social behaviour, social defence research can serve a useful purpose only if it can provide a practical basis for formulation of policy. I am, therefore, particularly happy to know that evaluation of the practical measures forms an important objective of this Workshop and attempts will be made to devise the mechanics of research utilisation.
