DISSERTATION Titel der Dissertation „Voices of prisoners surviving the death row in India“ Verfasserin Reena Mary George angestrebter akademischer Grad Doktorin der Philosophie (Dr. phil.) Wien, 2013 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt: A 784122 Dissertationsgebiet lt. Studienblatt: Soziologie Betreuer: Ao. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Christoph Reinprecht, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Manfred Nowak, LL.M. I dedicate this study to all prisoners on death row in India. Table of Contents List of tables .................................................................................................... 1 List of figures .................................................................................................. 1 List of appendix .............................................................................................. 2 Abstract ........................................................................................................... 3 Zusammenfassung........................................................................................... 4 Acknowledgements ......................................................................................... 6 CHAPTER ONE: SETTING THE ‘ TEMPO ’ OF THE STUDY ................. 10 1.1. Introduction ............................................................................................ 10 1.2. Background and statement of the problem ............................................ 12 1.3. Methodology .......................................................................................... 18 1.3.1. Sampling and data collection .............................................................. 18 1.3.2. Data analysis ....................................................................................... 20 1.4. Clarification of terms ............................................................................. 22 1.4.1. Death penalty/Capital punishment ...................................................... 22 1.4.2. Human dignity .................................................................................... 22 1.4.3. Death row phenomenon/syndrome ..................................................... 22 1.4.4. Death row ............................................................................................ 23 1.4.5. Death row prisoner .............................................................................. 23 1.5. Specific objectives and the significance of the study ............................ 24 1.6. Scope and limitations of the study ......................................................... 27 1.7. Chapter outline ....................................................................................... 30 1.8. Summary ................................................................................................ 32 CHAPTER TWO: ‘ PITCH ’ OF (SOCIAL) THEORIES, (LEGAL) CONTEXTS AND (RESEARCH) EVIDENCES ........................................ 33 2.1. Introduction ............................................................................................ 33 2.2. Death penalty in the realm of social theories ......................................... 35 i 2.2.1. Prison as an institution: ‘Total’, ‘complete’ and ‘austere’ .................. 38 2.2.1.1. Prisons as ‘total institutions’ ............................................................ 40 2.2.1.2. Prisons as ‘complete’ and ‘austere’ institutions ............................... 44 2.2.1.3. Principles of prison .......................................................................... 45 2.2.1.4. Maximum security prison ................................................................ 48 2.2.2. Prisoners as a social category .............................................................. 49 2.2.2.1. Socially excluded and marginalised ............................................ 49 2.2.2.2. Death sentence prisoners ............................................................. 51 2.2.3. Sociology of punishment .................................................................... 53 2.2.3.1. History of punishment ................................................................. 54 2.2.3.2. Imprisonment as punishment ...................................................... 57 2.2.3.3. Capital punishment or death penalty ........................................... 59 2.2.3.4. Torture as punishment ................................................................. 59 2.2.3.5. Solitary confinement as punishment ........................................... 61 2.2.4. “ Experie-ception ”: Synthesis of phenomenology and symbolic interactionism ................................................................................................ 64 2.2.4.1. Phenomenology ........................................................................... 65 2.2.4.2. Symbolic interactionism ............................................................. 68 2.2.4.3. Experie-ception” : Synthesis of phenomenology and symbolic interactionism ................................................................................................ 72 2.3. Death penalty in the realm of law .......................................................... 78 2.3.1. An overview of death penalty in international law ............................. 78 2.3.2. An overview of the legal framework in India ..................................... 85 2.3.3. The court system ................................................................................. 89 2.3.3.1. The Supreme Court of India ........................................................ 90 2.3.3.2. High Court................................................................................... 91 2.3.3.3. Subordinate Judiciary/the Judicial Services of the State ............ 91 2.3.4. Safeguards for detainees ..................................................................... 93 ii 2.3.4.1. Safeguards during arrest and detention in law and in practice ... 93 2.3.4.2. Safeguards during interrogation .................................................. 97 2.3.4.3. Safeguards against torture ........................................................... 97 2.3.5. Relevant laws and procedures for the death penalty ......................... 100 2.3.5.1. Guidelines for awarding death sentence ................................... 102 2.3.5.2. Three possible stages of judicial process in death penalty cases 104 2.3.5.3. When sentenced to death .......................................................... 105 2.3.5.4. Fundamental rights of condemned prisoners ............................ 107 2.3.6. Recent highlights of death penalty in India ...................................... 110 2.4. Dignity ................................................................................................. 112 2.5. Evidence – Review of literature ........................................................... 124 2.5.1. Modus-operandi of death penalty worldwide ................................... 125 2.5.2. The Marginalised and vulnerable on death row ................................ 139 2.5.3. Multi-faceted arguments and actors of death penalty ....................... 148 2.5.4. Moral, ethical and political aspect of death penalty ......................... 164 2.6. Summary and research gaps................................................................. 167 CHAPTER THREE: THE ‘ RHYTHM ’ OF METHODS USED ................. 169 3.1. Introduction .......................................................................................... 169 3.2. Research phases ................................................................................... 171 3.3. Research design ................................................................................... 175 3.3.1. The qualitative research paradigm .................................................... 175 3.3.2. Participants and ‘reaching’ the participants ...................................... 176 3.3.3. Instruments used in the study ............................................................ 181 3.4. Data collection procedure .................................................................... 183 3.4.1. Field-work location ........................................................................... 183 3.4.2. Translators......................................................................................... 186 3.4.3. The interview setting......................................................................... 186 iii 3.5. Data analysis ........................................................................................ 188 3.6. Methodological interpretation and framework .................................... 190 3.7. Ethical consideration ............................................................................ 193 3.8. Limitations of the study ....................................................................... 193 3.8.1. Methodological limitations ............................................................... 193 3.8.1.1. Sample size ............................................................................... 193 3.8.1.2. Lack of available and/or reliable data ....................................... 194 3.8.1.3. Lack of prior research studies on the topic ............................... 194 3.8.1.4. Measure used to collect the data ............................................... 194 3.8.1.5. Self-reported data ...................................................................... 195 3.8.1.6. Use of theories .......................................................................... 196 3.8.2. Limitations of the researcher............................................................