---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Indian criminal justice system was a…"
description: "\"The Indian criminal justice system was a market like garbage, Abdul now understood. Innocence and guilt could be bought and sold like a kilo of polyure..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/486/katherine-boo-7467_bags_the-indian-criminal-justice-system-was-a_776718.png"
---

#  The Indian criminal justice system was a market like…

![“The Indian criminal justice system was a market like garbage, Abdul now understood. Innocence and guilt could be bought and sold like a kilo of polyurethane bags.” quote by Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/486/katherine-boo-7467_bags_the-indian-criminal-justice-system-was-a_776718.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/486/katherine-boo-7467_bags_the-indian-criminal-justice-system-was-a_776718.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/486/katherine-boo-7467_bags_the-indian-criminal-justice-system-was-a_776718.png)

> “The Indian criminal justice system was a market like garbage, Abdul now understood. Innocence and guilt could be bought and sold like a kilo of polyurethane bags.”

[Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The Indian criminal justice system operates like a market where innocence and guilt can be bought and sold.

**In simple terms:** Justice is a market.

Key Takeaway

Demand transparency and fairness.

Themes

justice corruption market metaphor

Mood

critical serious

Type

policy analytical

When to use this quote

- policy reform
- activism
- public awareness

Key Concepts

legal ethics social inequality

Questions to Reflect On

- How does commodification affect victims?
- What reforms could reduce buying justice?

A Different Perspective

Market analogy may oversimplify systemic complexities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Criminal justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal-justice/) [Criminal justice system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal-justice-system/) [Criminals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminals/) [Guilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilt/) [Innocence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innocence/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Justice system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice-system/)

## Related quotes

> [The termination is not based on innocence or guilt, but on biology. The sociopath personality is fraudulent. They are impostors within the human species.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-termination-is-not-based-on-innocence-or-guilt-but-on-biology-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Cheap thrill: moral outrage revels in its own innocence and in the guilt of the wicked Others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/cheap-thrill-moral-outrage-revels-in-its-own-innocence-and-in-the/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [“Rational authority creates a society that determines right and wrong based on innocence and guilt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabeel-qureshi/rational-authority-creates-a-society-that-determines-right-and-wrong/)

[Nabeel Qureshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nabeel-qureshi/)

> [“The duty of an investigator was to scratch away at innocence until guilt was uncovered. If no guilt was uncovered then they hadn’t scratched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rob-smith/the-duty-of-an-investigator-was-to-scratch-away-at-innocence-until/)

[Tom Rob Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rob-smith/)

> [What is our innocence, What is our guilt? All are naked, none is safe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/what-is-our-innocence-what-is-our-guilt-all-are-naked-none-is-safe/)

[Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/)

> [“Innocence and guilt. These are cosmic issues. We’re all innocent on one level and guilty on another. Isn’t that what Original Sin is all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viet-thanh-nguyen/innocence-and-guilt-these-are-cosmic-issues-we-re-all-innocent-on-one/)

[Viet Thanh Nguyen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viet-thanh-nguyen/)

> [The only things that I can tell you is that every case I have reviewed I have been comfortable with the innocence or guilt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/the-only-things-that-i-can-tell-you-is-that-every-case-i-have/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [Whether or not we can save Lake Michigan, whether or not we can avoid a breakdown in our criminal justice system are more important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-scott/whether-or-not-we-can-save-lake-michigan-whether-or-not-we-can-avoid/)

[Bill Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-scott/)

> [Victims of crime and the wider community deserve a grown-up debate on our criminal justice system and how we can make it work -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/victims-of-crime-and-the-wider-community-deserve-a-grown-up-debate-on/)

[Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/)

> [A large portion of American citizens, especially people of color, have lost confidence in our criminal justice system. Many have called for appointing special…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-simmons/a-large-portion-of-american-citizens-especially-people-of-color-have/)

[Russell Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-simmons/)

> [Our criminal justice system has swallowed up too many people I love. I am proud to join the ACLU in the fight to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-k-williams/our-criminal-justice-system-has-swallowed-up-too-many-people-i-love-i/)

[Michael K. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-k-williams/)

> [The people who have been unjustly disenfranchised by our criminal justice system and the people who daily fight for them always have, and always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-jenkins/the-people-who-have-been-unjustly-disenfranchised-by-our-criminal/)

[Malcolm Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-jenkins/)

> [America's criminal justice system isn't known for rehabilitation. I'm not sure that, as a society, we are even interested in that concept anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-earle/america-s-criminal-justice-system-isn-t-known-for-rehabilitation-i-m/)

[Steve Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-earle/)

> [It's encouraging to watch bipartisan leaders from different states recognize the need for fair and rational legislation focused on creating second chances for those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-g-rubin/it-s-encouraging-to-watch-bipartisan-leaders-from-different-states/)

[Michael G. Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-g-rubin/)

> [We need to incorporate that age-old concept of redemption into the work that we do in the criminal justice system in California.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamala-harris/we-need-to-incorporate-that-age-old-concept-of-redemption-into-the/)

[Kamala Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamala-harris/)

## More by Katherine Boo

> [“In places where government priorities and market imperatives create a world so capricious that to help a neighbor is to risk your ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/in-places-where-government-priorities-and-market-imperatives-create-a/)

[Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/)

> [“The forces of justice had finally come to Annawadi. That the beneficiaries were horses was a source of bemusement to Sunil and the road…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/the-forces-of-justice-had-finally-come-to-annawadi-that-the/)

[Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/)

> [“For years, Asha had hoped that her daughter wouldn’t guess about the men. Now she wished she had raised Manju to be worldly enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/for-years-asha-had-hoped-that-her-daughter-wouldn-t-guess-about-the/)

[Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/)

> [“What was unfolding in Mumbai was unfolding elsewhere, too. In the age of global market capitalism, hopes and grievances were narrowly conceived, which blunted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/what-was-unfolding-in-mumbai-was-unfolding-elsewhere-too-in-the-age/)

[Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/)

> [I was spending a lot of time in Mumbai after I met my husband, who is Indian, and while parts of the city were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/i-was-spending-a-lot-of-time-in-mumbai-after-i-met-my-husband-who-is/)

[Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/)

> [One thing that was very clear to me is that the young people in a place like Annawadi aren't tripping on caste the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/one-thing-that-was-very-clear-to-me-is-that-the-young-people-in-a/)

[Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/)

> [“that the only Indians who went on trial were”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/that-the-only-indians-who-went-on-trial-were/)

[Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/)

> [“Besides, this was the gentle-going hour in which he hated Annawadi least. The pale sun lent the sewage lake a sparkling silver cast, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/besides-this-was-the-gentle-going-hour-in-which-he-hated-annawadi/)

[Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/)

> [There's some way in which we would prefer not to see very clearly the immense gifts and intelligence of some of the people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/there-s-some-way-in-which-we-would-prefer-not-to-see-very-clearly-the/)

[Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/)

> [“No onlooker asked, Why fix a house when the airport authority might demolish it? Almost everyone here improved his hut when he was able,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/no-onlooker-asked-why-fix-a-house-when-the-airport-authority-might/)

[Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/)

> [Everyone in Annawadi talks like this: 'Oh, I will make my child a doctor, a lawyer, and he will make us rich'. It's vanity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/everyone-in-annawadi-talks-like-this-oh-i-will-make-my-child-a-doctor/)

[Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/)

> [“Like most scavengers, Sunil knew how he appeared to the people who frequented the airport: shoeless, unclean, pathetic. By winter’s end, he had defended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/like-most-scavengers-sunil-knew-how-he-appeared-to-the-people-who/)

[Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/)

> [“Though Abdul had been afraid of ghosts as most Annawadi boys, these reports did no disturb him. Being terrorized by living people seemed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/though-abdul-had-been-afraid-of-ghosts-as-most-annawadi-boys-these/)

[Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/)

> [But if writing about people who are not yourself is illegitimate, then the only legitimate work is autobiography; and as a reader and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/but-if-writing-about-people-who-are-not-yourself-is-illegitimate-then/)

[Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/)

> [I'm not squeamish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/i-m-not-squeamish/)

[Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/)

[Explore all 90 Katherine Boo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/)

## More Bags quotes

> [Why couldn't Jesus command us to obsess over everything, to try to control and manipulate people, to try not to breathe at all, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/why-couldn-t-jesus-command-us-to-obsess-over-everything-to-try-to/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [I love Christopher Bailey and Burberry, Mulberry for bags, and Hudson for jeans. I like a little bit of designer with a bit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cara-delevingne/i-love-christopher-bailey-and-burberry-mulberry-for-bags-and-hudson/)

[Cara Delevingne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cara-delevingne/)

> ['Constitutional' is just a real pip of a word. Positively rolls off the tongue. In fact, it's downright fun to say. 'Con-stit-too-shun-al.' It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/constitutional-is-just-a-real-pip-of-a-word-positively-rolls-off-the/)

[Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/)

> [I don't really buy expensive clothes. I love good bags!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-siriano/i-don-t-really-buy-expensive-clothes-i-love-good-bags/)

[Christian Siriano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-siriano/)

> [I have a dress fitting to get to at three.' (Simon) 'Cool,' said Kyle, slinging his messenger bag over his shoulder and heading for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-have-a-dress-fitting-to-get-to-at-three-simon-cool-said-kyle/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [Never bet with anyone you meet on the first tee who has a deep suntan, a 1-iron in his bag, and squinty eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-marr/never-bet-with-anyone-you-meet-on-the-first-tee-who-has-a-deep-suntan/)

Dave Marr

> [If you go out on the Appalachian Trail, you have to bring so much more equipment - a tent, sleeping bag - but if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/if-you-go-out-on-the-appalachian-trail-you-have-to-bring-so-much-more/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [Politics is not bean bags. It's serious, tough stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/politics-is-not-bean-bags-it-s-serious-tough-stuff/)

[Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/)

> [I like bags that are easy to wear and are pretty to look at. But I don't like them when they have no space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-dellal/i-like-bags-that-are-easy-to-wear-and-are-pretty-to-look-at-but-i-don/)

[Alice Dellal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-dellal/)

> [I drive a Prius. I always turn my faucets off. I never use plastic bottles anymore. I use glass bottles. I bring my own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-d-orsay/i-drive-a-prius-i-always-turn-my-faucets-off-i-never-use-plastic/)

Brooke D'Orsay

> [Then there are some minor points that strike me as suggestive - for instance, the position of Mrs. Hubbard's sponge bag, the name of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/then-there-are-some-minor-points-that-strike-me-as-suggestive-for/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [It was a mind-blowing experience, it really was-absolutely an awesome thing. . . . As I got to the top I released a bag…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-was-a-mind-blowing-experience-it-really-was-absolutely-an-awesome/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You know the best thing about aeroplanes? Apart from the peanuts in little silver bags, I mean. It's looking out of the windows at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-know-the-best-thing-about-aeroplanes-apart-from-the-peanuts-in/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [I'm not the Hollywood type. I'm not going to pack up my bags and let me move to Hollywood and stuff like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-henry/i-m-not-the-hollywood-type-i-m-not-going-to-pack-up-my-bags-and-let/)

[Dwight Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-henry/)

> [Everyone knows I drink a lot of Diet Coke, so...I drink chocolate milk after races as my recovery drink, and you won't ever find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-armstrong/everyone-knows-i-drink-a-lot-of-diet-coke-so-i-drink-chocolate-milk/)

[Kristin Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-armstrong/)

Browse all 1,147 Bags quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The Indian criminal justice system was a market like garbage, Abdul now understood. Innocence and guilt could be bought and sold like a kilo of polyurethane bags.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Katherine Boo"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/the-indian-criminal-justice-system-was-a-market-like-garbage-abdul/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bags"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/the-indian-criminal-justice-system-was-a-market-like-garbage-abdul/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/486/katherine-boo-7467_bags_the-indian-criminal-justice-system-was-a_776718.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/486/katherine-boo-7467_bags_the-indian-criminal-justice-system-was-a_776718.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/486/katherine-boo-7467_bags_the-indian-criminal-justice-system-was-a_776718.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The Indian criminal justice system was a market like garbage, Abdul now understood. Innocence and guilt…” — Katherine Boo",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Katherine Boo",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The Indian criminal justice system was...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/the-indian-criminal-justice-system-was-a-market-like-garbage-abdul/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/the-indian-criminal-justice-system-was-a-market-like-garbage-abdul/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
