The alumni of LNJN NICFS and students of Criminology in India would like to present a humble request before you. 

1.The LNJN National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Science (LNJN NICFS) is a unique Institution, not only in India, but in the whole Asian Continent. Its origin could be traced back to the first Criminal Justice Education Convention, organized by UNESCO in collaboration with the International Society of Criminology, in London, in the year 1955.In the Convention a need was felt to establish an Organization wherein both the subjects including criminology and Forensic science may betaught under one roof because study of criminology helps the Investigating Officer’s relating to the various clues of investigation mainly circumstances in which the crime has been committed, the perpetuating factors, mind-set of the criminal followed by the support to the prosecutor and judges in choosing appropriate sentence and to the correctional officers in adopting suitable correctional and  rehabilitative  measures to  reduce recidivism rate while forensic science provides aid to crime investigation.

2. A survey was conducted to establish such institute in 10 countries including India.Finally UNESCO Report (1957) strongly suggested for developing Criminology as a subject discipline in India. In follow up University Grants Commission appointed a Committee on whose recommendationNICFS was established as an attached office under Ministry of Home Affairs by the  Govt. of India vide MHA’s Resolution No.4/20/70.F(P)-II/ICFS/GPA dated 25th September, 1976. The decision to establish NICFS under MHA was based on the very fact that crime prevention and control is a subject matter of MHA and Criminal Justice Functionaries being government servants would be easily nominated to undergo skill development program organized by MHA.

3. NICFS was established with four main objectives that are:

To act as National Institute towards advancement of the subjects of criminology and forensic science and towards this end to provide teaching in (i) M.A. in Criminology and M.Sc. in Forensic Science and (ii) undertake research in Criminology and Forensic Science.
To act as a centre of in-service training of officers in police judiciary and correctional services and also others engaged in the criminal justice system and its allied fields.
To act as a reference body in the fields of criminology and forensic science for all national as well as International institutions that provide all types of information to workers engaged in the various studies in these fields.
To promote international understanding and Goodwill by providing facility for training and research in criminology and forensic science to other countries
4. To achieve these objectives, NICFS has been acting as a Centre for in-service Training to Officers from the Police, Judiciary, Correctional Service, Forensic Scientists and other functionaries and stakeholders engaged in the prevention and control of crime.  Since its more than 48 years of existence, NICFS has trained a large number of Criminal Justice functionaries, not only from India, but from SAARC Nations and other under-developed Asian and African countries, on various subjects such as, terrorism, organized crime, cyber crime, crimes against women and children, crimes against senior citizens, environmental crimes and also on variousaspects of Forensic Science.

5. NICFS if the apex organization which has got international image.In the past NICFS had organized  various workshops including United Nations Regional workshop on firearms regulations, India-UNAFEI Joint Seminar on organized crime etc. The criminology faculty of NICFS has been invited and visited as Individual expert in United Nations Crime Prevention Congresses.

6.Not only this but NICFS was renamed as LokNayak Jaya Prakash Narayan National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Science in the Year 2002 (LNJN NICFS).  Its objective was widened to cover the horizon of conducting research to find out the peaceful and humane manner of solving the crime under the name of LokNayakJayaPrakash Narayan’s Philosophy. 

7.Infact,Criminology is a scientific study of crime and criminal behaviour. It not only provides a deep insight into the total process of crime commission but also unfolds and explains the dynamics of criminal behaviour in a holistic frame and also provides baseline for crime management system. In other words Criminology helps in undertaking Crime and Criminal Behaviour since their inception to culmination and finally to perpetration in their etiological and contextual background.  

Forensic Science on the other hand is the science of studying one particular aspect of the phenomenon of the crime commission i.e. application of scientific principles and methods in the detection of crime. It provides valuable clues to establish the guilt or innocence of the accused through expert examination of a wide variety of evidence material. In other word, Forensic Science through its various branches of specialization provides scientific aid to crime investigation. 

Criminology and Forensic Science are two complementary and inter related subjects which are never complete in the absence of the other. Therefore keeping Criminology in a school under Forensic Science University will nullify the importance and utility of Criminology in the service of crime prevention and criminal justice.

This is the only Institute which has been helping Criminal Justice Functionaries inunderstanding andexplaining crime causation, with the subsequent goal of reducing the severity of its negative impact on the society.Criminal Justice Functionaries have been facing formidable challenges in the present day society .Knowledge of Criminology helps in devising methodologies to reduce and control crime While Forensic Science deals with very specific area of investigation which is also never complete without understanding the social perspective of crime. Therefore Forensic Science without criminology is totally meaningless.

8. It is also noteworthy to mention here that the change of the status of Criminology will affect the wide umbrella and the objectives of NICFS. The training component will suffer. The Criminal Justice Functionaries would not be able to be trained as none of the Criminal Justice agencies will be sending their officers for the training to the Forensic School or University. As a result, many Criminal Justice Functionaries will be deprived from upgrading their knowledge and skills which is helpfulin prevention and control ofcrime.

9. Moreover,the idea to change the status of Criminology is not based on any recommendation of such high power as it was established. Neither the workshop held in the month of October in NICFS was having the committee where in the experts from various fields of criminology/ sociology/ criminal law nor the people involved in the handling of crimewere members.

10. Also NICFS is not simply Forensic Science Laboratories. It is apparent by its name that the component of Criminology is supreme.

11. Not only this but by merger of the Institute with Gujarat Forensic Science University, its  unique and exclusive dimension of Lok Nayak JayaPrakash Narayan’s philosophy to find the solution for crime prevention with peaceful and human manner will also be lost. 

12. Also the National Forensic Science University bill didn’t mention about the Criminology domain neither within the Bill nor in the nomenclature of the University. The subject criminology should be given due importance in the NFSU bill as NICFS is the apex organization awarding degree of criminology in Delhi. Also criminology is a larger domain ignorance of which might affect the subject at national level. Adequate representation of criminology shall be in all the proposed committees, councils and boards of NFSU. And if equal representation of Criminology is not possible in NFSU then NICFS should stand as it is rather than merging the institution with some University with different set if objectives and aims.

Therefore it is our humble request that NICFS should remain as a unique separate Institute under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Its sanctity should be maintained as it is being the apex organization in upgrading knowledge and skill of Criminal Justice Functionaries about prevention and control of crime and also conducting research in solving the crime in peaceful and humane manner. It should further grow and develop to help in the prevention and control of crime so that the society is benefitted at large.

You are requested to intervene and stall the proposal of merging LNJN NICFS in the Gujarat Forensic Science University.