The Criminal Justice and Police Accountability Project (CPA Project) was founded in 2019 as a litigation, research, and capacity-building intervention committed to ending the disproportionate targeting of marginalized communities by the criminal justice system. These communities include those previously officially criminalized under colonial laws, now classified as Denotified Tribal (DNT) Communities or Vimukta communities, as well as other communities that are similarly persecuted and stigmatized. They use data-driven research and human rights lawyering to help vulnerable & historically marginalized communities advocate for decriminalization and decarceration.

This brief, attached below, has been prepared by the CPA Project where it draws from findings of research in Madhya Pradesh, into the implementation and consequences of prosecuting under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, and is the first public study of its kind. The study analyzed data from Police as well as the Forest Department to look at patterns of criminalization. It found that both the Police and the Forest Department targeted communities that lived in forests, so a high representation of people who identified as ST was seen. It further laid down the trends that were highlighted within the data followed by recommendations.

Policy-brief-English
Policy-brief-Hindi