ABSTRACT
Humans are not born criminals, but it is the social environment that generally nurtures crime. In the Indian subcontinent, we come across certain tribes and castes taking to crime due to a variety of reasons under different circumstances. They were dubbed criminal tribes by the British. Criminal reformation is a three-dimensional process involving different actors – the criminals themselves, the state machinery including police/government officials and finally society at large. According to the understanding of social reformers a civilian/voluntary effort in reforming a diehard tradition or customary practice should ideally engage members/families of three generations. During the first phase of reform activity during 1973 and 1974, the social reformers concentrated on establishing rapport with the criminals and their families. The Stuartpuram experiment of social reform hints at one important historical lesson that religious and traditional approaches to the problem of despised social heritage has lesser or reduced scope for reform of diehard avocations of hardened criminals.
