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Towards a Malaysian Criminology pp 5–27Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

The Malaysian Criminal Justice System: History Context and Development

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Abstract

This section provides an overview of the early pre-colonial political history of the nation leading to independence and the creation of the Federation of Malaysia. A core aspect of this section engages with the development of the Islamic legal system in the region and the challenges presented by legal pluralism, Islamisation and departures from classical Islamic jurisprudence. The ethno-national nature of the country coupled with a tendency towards authoritarianism, or Hobbism, is explored before providing an overview of the key features of the Malaysian criminal justice institutions such as the Royal Malaysian Police and prisons.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Note that British law distinguishes between a protectorate and a protected state. The former has an internal established government or ruler over which British jurisdiction was limited and therefore subject to indirect rule.

  2. 2.

    Note that in Malaysia this word is spelt ‘syariah’, for example, in legislation. However, in this text the transliterated form ‘sharī’ah’ will also be used interchangeably throughout unless it refers to formal titles of Malaysian laws or documents or is a direct quote.

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  1. School of Health and Society, University of Salford, Salford, UK

    Muzammil Quraishi

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  1. Muzammil Quraishi
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Quraishi, M. (2020). The Malaysian Criminal Justice System: History Context and Development. In: Towards a Malaysian Criminology. Palgrave Advances in Criminology and Criminal Justice in Asia. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-49101-5_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-49101-5_2

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