Project 39A is a criminal justice organisation based out of National Law University, Delhi, which provides pro-bono legal representation and engages in research on a variety of criminal justice issues. The 39A Podcast is our endeavour to make contemporary issues in criminal justice accessible. You can read more about us on our website, and follow us on social media
T M Krishna: "Denying art is a justification of violence"
Why is artistic practice and expression important for incarcerated individuals? Tune into The 39A Podcast's latest featuring T M Krishna (Sumanasa Foundation) and Anup Surendranath (Project 39A) to hear what they have to say about the place art holds in society, the role it plays in totalising spaces like prisons, and about our important collaboration through the 'Art in Prisons' initiative.
You can learn more about the initiative developed in collaboration by Project 39A and Sumanasa Foundation and executed with the invaluable support of art facilitators, institutional stakeholders and program coordinator Rahimunisa Begam on our website: https://www.project39a.com/art-in-pri... (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbTFtREdENzBFZHRkYmNFWlVzWTlMYjVsVjcyUXxBQ3Jtc0tsa2dwaEtqam9lbG9XbmpxOTQ3eVktXzAtX1lEdGhnbk1CQlZCM2M0S2psd0VLT2pGMTQyN2hMMXVYZU8tNE1tV1hIVXloMmJia2dpOW54RWdSV09TUGJzTXNTbDFFa3h6ajdoN2VENmg2aWFjLU55TQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.project39a.com%2Fart-in-prisons&v=93xD6e_Cb0M)
Chapters:
00:00 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93xD6e_Cb0M&t=0s) - 00:54 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93xD6e_Cb0M&t=54s) Highlights
00:54 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93xD6e_Cb0M&t=54s) - 02:30 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93xD6e_Cb0M&t=150s) What is Project 39A?
02:30 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93xD6e_Cb0M&t=150s) - 06:02 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93xD6e_Cb0M&t=362s) What is the Art in Prisons initiative?
06:02 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93xD6e_Cb0M&t=362s) - 13:53 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93xD6e_Cb0M&t=833s) Why is art important in Indian prisons?
13:53 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93xD6e_Cb0M&t=833s) - 17:28 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93xD6e_Cb0M&t=1048s) What is the place of art in society?
17:28 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93xD6e_Cb0M&t=1048s) - 22:50 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93xD6e_Cb0M&t=1370s) Is prison a space of denying freedoms?
22:50 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93xD6e_Cb0M&t=1370s) - 27:12 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93xD6e_Cb0M&t=1632s) What was the approach to the larger initiative?
27:12 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93xD6e_Cb0M&t=1632s) - 33:45 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93xD6e_Cb0M&t=2025s) What was the impact of the program?
33:45 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93xD6e_Cb0M&t=2025s) - 35:45 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93xD6e_Cb0M&t=2145s) How can art impact an individual person?
35:45 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93xD6e_Cb0M&t=2145s) - 37:06 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93xD6e_Cb0M&t=2226s) How can mainstream art change its perception about incarcerated artists?
10 Jun 2024
The Pune Porsche Case: Law and Realities of the Juvenile Justice System
Episode 26 of the 39A Podcast discusses the recent Pune Porsche case where a 17-year-old allegedly caused the death of two hapless victims while driving rashly and under the influence. The case has made waves in the media due to reports of preferential treatment and manipulation of evidence. However, the case also invokes questions of Juvenile Justice law which are largely unaddressed by mainstream media.
In this podcast, Anup Surendranath converses with child rights experts— Bharati Ali, Swagata Raha and Mahesh Menon, who bring decades of experience with the juvenile justice system and analyse the legal and procedural aspects of juvenile justice in India. The discussion focuses on provisions for bail in the case of juvenile offenders, when can a child be tried as an adult, how the said determination is made, whether the mental capacity of the child can be determined, and the systemic issues in observation homes and places of safety. The conversation also delves into the more theoretical aspects of crime and punishment, and why there is a need to treat juvenile delinquents differently than adult offenders.
26 Jun 2023
Piecemeal justice: Inadequacy of equating punishment with justice for victims’ families
Dr. Penelope Tong (Fieldwork Supervisor, Tata Institute of Social Sciences) discusses her doctoral research on the needs of families of murder victims in Mumbai, with Baljeet Kaur (former senior mitigation investigator at P39A).
Dr. Tong’s research finds that most cases of murder arise due to escalation of interpersonal conflicts, particularly in socio-economically impoverished communities. Though the police are often approached at the first instance of strained interpersonal dynamics, they are ill-equipped to resolve and prevent further conflict. Further, in the aftermath of murder, victims’ families are forced to navigate emotional distress, alienation and an inaccessible legal system. For victims’ families to heal and move forward, a holistic recognition of their needs and a conception of justice that goes beyond punishing the offender, is required.
Can the criminal justice system, as it stands today, address such complex needs and treat families of victims justly? In this podcast, Dr. Penelope Tong and Baljeet Kaur discuss the need for the criminal justice system to expand its imagination of justice for families of murder victims.
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