Social Work in Police Stations: Challenges for Front Line Practice in India.

The article discusses the need for social work practice in police stations. The first part presents the current state of the Indian Criminal Justice System (CJS). The next section situates CJS within the mandate of a welfare state. The issues related to policing and corrections in the country precede the section elucidating the role of and challenges faced by a social worker in the police station. It suggests that Social Work practice within the CJS would facilitate a tactical shift in its approach to address the domain of civil and political rights. The article concludes that while there is need for a partnership between social workers and police, the divergent cultures and mandates of the two professions makes it difficult, even though both have a commitment to protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]