THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM AND COMMUNITY-BASED TREATMENTOF OFFENDERS IN THAILAND
Kanokpun Kalyanasuta*
Atchara Suriyawong**
I. THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM IN THAILAND
A. Criminal Proceedings
Responsibility for the administration of criminal law in Thailand is shared by several organisations:
the Royal Thai Police, Office of the Attorney General, the Courts of Justice, the Ministry of Justice(Department of Probation and the Central observation and Protection) and the Ministry of Interior(Department of Corrections).
After an arrest, law enforcement agencies present information about the case and about the accusedto the prosecutor. According to the Criminal Procedure Code, investigation is conducted by the inquiry
officials who are mainly the police. Thai prosecutors are not granted the power to initiate investigation
nor institute the case themselves. Prosecutors begin their function after receiving investigation files
from the inquiry officials. The only channel to involve with the investigation is to instruct the inquiry
officials to conduct an additional investigation if the prosecutors deem that the facts or evidence as they
appear in the file are not clear enough.
When the investigation is completed, a report is filed with the public prosecutor, who then prepares
an indictment and gives a copy to the accused or his counsel, who enter a plea of guilty or not guilty.
Based on the plea and evidence that had been gathered, the judge either accepts a case for trial or
dismisses all charges.
Trials are normally held in open court, and the accused is presumed to be innocent until provenguilty. During trials, accused persons or their counsels can cross-examine prosecution witnesses and reexamine defence witnesses. After that, the judge decides the sentence. A sentencing hearing may beheld at which evidence of aggravating or mitigating circumstances from an offender’s background andthe offender’s criminal behaviour can be taken into account.Courts often rely on pre-sentence
investigations by probation officers.
The sentencing choices that may be available to judges include one or more punishments of thefollowing (the Penal Code Section 18):
1. Death Sentence: this type of punishment is carried out by means of shooting. However, there are
guidelines in both the Thai laws and the United Nations code where safeguard measures for
implementing the death sentence are provided. Despite its existence in the laws, the death sentence isinfrequently carried out in Thailand. Most of the prisoners who receive the death sentence have theirsentences commuted to life imprisonment. Throughout the history of modern corrections in Thailand,
there have been 300 prisoners executed.
2. Sentence to Imprisonment: this is the major type of punishment to deal with criminal offenders in
Thailand. The imprisonment terms range from one day to life imprisonment. Under the Thai laws, aterm of imprisonment is a determinate sentence and must be carried out till its termination. The prison
authority has no right to commute the sentence or to offer sentence reduction. Under this existing
sentencing system, a large prison population is created which must rely, on the Royal King’s Pardon asa means to control the number of inmates in the system.

* Senior probation officer, Department of Probation, Ministry of Justice,
Thailand**Senior officer, Department of Corrections, Ministry of Interior,
Thailand265

RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 61
3. Sentence to Confinement: the punishment of confinement is less than imprisonment. If the court
imposes a punishment of imprisonment not exceeding three months, and if it does not appear that sucha person has received the punishment of imprisonment previously, the court may impose thepunishment of confinement not exceeding three months in lieu of the punishment of imprisonment. Any
person receiving the punishment of confinement shall be held in a place of confinement which is not a
prison.
4. Fine: this type of sentence is applied to petty crime. Offenders are ordered to pay a certain
amount of money to the authorities as punishment. Failure to pay the fine results in an order ofconfinement.
In reducing the punishment, if the punishment of imprisonment to be imposed upon the offender isonly for a period of three months or less, the Court may determine a lesser punishment of
imprisonment, or if the punishment of imprisonment to be imposed upon the offender is only for aperiod of three months or less, with a fine, the Court may determine a lesser period of
imprisonment, or a fine only. (the Penal Code section 55)
5. Forfeiture of Property: this type of punishment is applied to items, weapons, and assets which
offenders used or acquired to commit an offence.
1. The Legal Basis of Probation
If the court passes judgment that the offender is guilty, he/she may be put on probation. There are
two types of court decision for probation, but the contents of probationary supervision are the same. The
basic requirements of probation provided in the Thai Penal Code are as the follows:
Whenever any person commits an offence punishable with imprisonment and in such case the
Court shall punish with imprisonment not exceeding two years, if it does not appear that such
person has received the punishment of imprisonment previously, or it is the punishment for an
offence committed by negligence or a petty offence, the Court may, when taking into consideration
the age, past criminal record, behaviour, intelligence, education and training, health, condition of
the mind, habit, occupation and environment of such person or the nature of the offence, or otherextenuating circumstances and, pass judgment, if it thinks fit, that such person is guilty, but thedetermination of the punishment is to be suspended, or the punishment is determined, but thepunishment is to be suspended, and then release such person with or without conditions forcontrolling his behaviour, so as to give such person an opportunity to reform himself within aperiod of time to be determined by the Court, but it shall not exceed five years as from the day on
which the Court passes judgment. (the Penal Code section 56)
2. Conditions of Probation
Regarding the conditions for controlling the behaviour of the offender (probation conditions), thecourt may determine one or more conditions as follows to:
1. Report himself to the probation officer from time to time so that the official may make inquires,give advice, assistance or admonition on the behaviour and carrying on of an occupation, or
arrange an activity to be done for community service or the public benefit, as the official andoffender think fit;
2. Be trained or to carry on an occupation;
3. Refrain from keeping company with certain people or from any behaviour which may lead to thecommission of a similar offence again;
4. Take the offender to have treatment for drug addiction, physical and mental illness, and otherillness as determined by the court;
5. Have other conditions determined by the court in order to rehabilitate or prevent him fromrecommitting an offence.

266

121ST INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSEPARTICIPANTS’ PAPERS
B. Criminal Justice Organisations
1. Royal Thai Police
The Royal Thai Police are the National Law Enforcement Agency and one of the largest government
ministerial offices of Thailand, responsible for crime prevention and suppression for the whole
kingdom. The first step in a criminal case is a preliminary investigation carried out by a police officer;
the investigation might include searches of suspects, their homes and others thought to be implicated.
Arrested suspects are required to be taken promptly to a police station, where the arrest warrant isread and explained to them. They are then held or released on bail. The provisions for bail and security
are defined by law.
The Royal Thai police emphasize protection more than suppression through including theparticipation of the community in support of police work, to have the greatest possible effect. They will
increase activities in the areas of crimes and in the surveillance of places where criminals tend toassociate.
Police Stations are the main organ of the Royal Thai Police. These offices need to develop personnel,
systems of work, including efficient use of all administrative resources in order to carry out theirfunctions of serving the people in justice, crime prevention and suppression.
2. Office of the Attorney General
A public prosecutor is an official under the office of the Attorney General and is governed by theRegulation of Public Prosecutor Officers Act 1978 (B.E. 2521). The Office of the Attorney-General,
formerly called the Public Prosecution Department, was separated from the Ministry of Interior andbecame a state agency under the direct supervision of the Prime Minister in 1991 to make the Office
free from outside influence and interference.
The public prosecutor is responsible for bringing a criminal prosecution on behalf of the governmentand represents the government in civil cases where the government is a party to the proceedings.
When the investigation is completed, a report is filed with the public prosecutor, who then prepares
an indictment and gives a copy to the accused or his counsel, who enter a plea of guilty or not guilty.
Based on the plea and the evidence that has been gathered, the judge either accepts a case for trial or
dismisses all charges. Trials are normally held in open court, and the accused is presumed to beinnocent until proven guilty. If the defendant has no counsel and wishes to be represented the court
appoints a defence attorney. During trials, accused persons or their counsels can cross-examine
prosecution witnesses and re-examine defence witnesses.
Authority and Functions
The authority and functions of the Office of the Attorney General can be classified into three maincategories:(i) Criminal Justice Administration
This is to conduct a criminal prosecution to protect the state and public as well as to defend
innocent government officials who have been charged with criminal cases relating to the lawful
performance of their duties. The Office also takes on an active role in international co-operation to
suppress crime and for international mutual assistance in criminal matters because the Attorney
General is the “Central Authority” under the “International Co-operation in Criminal Matters Acts of
1992 (B.E.2535)”.
(ii) Government Interests Protection
This is to render legal opinions to government agencies and state enterprises as well as to review
draft contracts both domestic and international, between private entities and government agencies ofstate enterprises. Furthermore, the Office is charged with the power to handle civil cases where thegovernment agencies or state enterprises are parties.

267

RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 61(iii) Public Interests Representation
This is to disseminate legal knowledge to the public in the fields of democracy, human rights,
environment and other laws. These functions have been carried out both by personal instruction
method and through mass media such as television, radio and newspapers. In addition, the Office also
renders legal aid to the poor and needy people, i.e. assisting them in lawsuits and the conciliation
process.
The authority and functions of the Office of the Attorney General will be continuously developed inorder to effectively fulfill the role of the guardian of the law and the protector of public interests,
especially with a view to coping with this new era of globalisation and technological advance.
3. The Courts of Justice
The Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand, 1997 (B.E.2540) has a substantial impact on the
reorganisation of the judicial system in Thailand. The types of court recognized under the 1997
Constitution are: the Constitution Court, the Court of Justice, the Administrative Court and theMilitary Court. The Constitution Court and Administrative Court were recently established as a resultof the provisions of such constitution. Although this change decreased the scope of the jurisdiction of the
Courts of Justice, most cases fall under the jurisdiction of the Courts of Justice.
The structure of the Courts of Justice is divided into two parts: administration and adjudication.
After August 20, 2000, the Courts were separated from the Ministry of Justice. The office of the
Judiciary is the organisation responsible for the administration of the Courts of Justice.
The Courts of Justice are classified into three levels consisting of the Courts of First Instance, theCourts of Appeal and the Supreme Courts. The Courts of First Instance are categorized as general
courts, juvenile and family courts and specialized courts. The general courts are ordinary courts whichhave authority to try and adjudicate criminal and civil cases. The Courts of Appeal handle an appeal
against the judgment or order of the civil courts and the criminal courts. The Supreme Court is the final
court of appeal in all civil and criminal cases in the whole kingdom.
Each court of appeal and the Supreme Court has a research division consisting of research judges.
The primary function of the division is to assist justices by examining all relevant factual and legal
issues of cases to ensure uniformity and fair results.
4. Department of Corrections
The Department of Corrections is the final agency of the criminal justice system. The responsibilityof the Department of Corrections concerns the taking into custody of offenders being sentenced by the
court and the rehabilitation of offenders; so that they will be able to reintegrate themselves into society
as good citizens after release. The Department of Corrections is a preventive agency in terms of crime
suppression and, at the same time, it plays an important role in the development of human resources of
the country.
Presently, the correctional system in Thailand comes under the administration of the Department ofCorrections, Ministry of Interior. The Department’s main responsibilities are to execute penal sentences
imposed by the Courts and any lawful orders. The implementation of these responsibilities is carriedout by means consistent with procedures, and measures stipulated in law. The Criminal Procedure
Code B.E. 2477 (1934), the Penal Code B.E. 2499 (1956), the Penitentiary Act B.E. 2479 (1936) are a few
of the laws which govern the Department. The Department has committed itself to fulfill the following
functions:(i)To keep prisoners whose age ranges from 18 and above in custody and ensure their appearance in
Court.
(ii) To ensure that all the procedures for detaining prisoners in custody are consistent with laws,
regulations, government policy, and the principle of criminology and penology, as well as theUnited Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Offenders and otherrecommendations.
(iii) To manage prisoners according to individual background, risk factors, and individual needs.

268

121ST INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSEPARTICIPANTS’ PAPERS(iv) To equip prisoners with lawful earning skills through various vocational training programmes.
(v) To provide a safe, secure and humane environment whereby prisoners are able to have access tosocial services, recreation facilities, education, vocational training, religious, health care, and otherforms of welfare.
(vi) To coordinate and cooperate with other criminal justice agencies in order to achieve maximum
protection of society.
Vision1. Prisoners become good citizens and shall not recommit crime
2. Prisoners become skillful and are able to find good work after release
3. Prisoners have good physical and mental health
4. Society and community accept and support the rehabilitation of prisoners.
Mission
1. The efficiency of custodial and security systems
2. The rehabilitation of offenders.
The Thai Department of Corrections regulates remand detention, confinement, imprisonment, theexecution of capital punishment, and several non-institutional treatments. At present there are 185
correctional facilities located throughout Thailand. The average daily population in 2002 is some
250,000 which is a substantial increase over the previous 10 years.
Table 1. Prisoners by Status, (February 2002)
StatusNumber

Percentage

Convicted

154,018

62.05

Awaiting investigation

29,919

12.05

Awaiting trial

59,18723.85

Others (juvenile delinquent, confined persons)

5,099

2.05

Total

248,223

100

Table 2. Convicted Prisoners by Types of Offences (February 2002)
Offences

Males

Females

Total

Percentage

Against Property

27,266

2,669

29,935

19.44

Against Narcotic Laws

74,84726,504

101,351

65.80

Against Life

7,042

336

7,378

4.79

Against Person

3,670

142

3,812

2.47

Sex Offences

4,665

74

4,739

3.08

Against Public Safety

369

27

396

0.26

Others

5,642

765

6,407

4.16

123,501

30,517

154,018

100

Total

5. Department of Probation
The Thai Government agreed to provide probation services for adult offenders and gave the
Ministry of Justice the authority to organise such services. The Central Probation Office began its
operation on August 7, 1979 in Bangkok. Then the Central Probation Office was upgraded to be theDepartment of Probation, Ministry of Justice, on March 15, 1992.

269

RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 61(i) Duties and Responsibilities of the Department of Probation
According to Royal Decree of the Division of the Department of Probation, Ministry of Justice 1992
(B.E.2535), the Department of Probation has the following duties and responsibilities under the
Probation Procedure Act in accordance with the Penal Code 1979 (B.E.2522).
a) To promote and encourage the process of the offender’s corrections and rehabilitation under the
Probation Procedure Act in accordance with the Penal Code 1979 (B.E.2522).
b) To plan and develop the system of probation, the offender’s treatment measures and tocooperate with the Ministerial Operation Plan, in setting up policies as well as to follow up andevaluate the administration and efficiency of the agencies under the department.
c) To conduct the pre-sentence investigation, supervision, corrections and rehabilitation of theoffenders who have been subjected to the Probation Procedure Act in accordance with the Penal
Code 1979 (B.E. 2522).
d) To operate other duties besides the above principal duties and responsibilities required by law
or the cabinet.
(ii) Vision
By the year 2012, the Department of Probation will be the principal organisation in community
corrections and drug addicts rehabilitation by means of a compulsory system. We will promote crime
control and prevention through community networks; will demonstrate the leadership role ofinnovation and engage the community to get involved in participatory administration of justice andoffender’s treatment; in respect of staff; will assume the professional and service-minded roles throughcompetence and capability; in respect of the Department, will assume the distinct cultures of learningorganisation, appearance, work, ethics and honesty, transparency and accountability, and highstandards recognized internationally.
(iii) Mission (Strategic Plan and Operational Plan 2002 - 2006)a) To provide offender services of preparing investigation reports, enforcing conditions ofsupervision, and supportive services conferred by virtue of the enactment concerning deferred
prosecution of pre-trial release, parole, and probation both adult and juvenile.
b) To provide drug treatment and rehabilitation of offenders by means of a compulsory system.
c) To provide offenders with social welfare services after termination of probation and release on
conditions.
d) To advocate and mobilize community resources to provide better services for offenders and toenhance and develop community networks.
e) To study and research, to develop the rehabilitation system, information technology, and legal
rules as well as other related regulations.
f)

To develop the organisational structure, administration, and staff for providing better services
through professionalism with competence and capability.

g) To promote crime prevention and diversion services in the criminal justice process.
(iv) Policies and Operational Directions for the Fiscal Year 2002
(especially concerning community-based corrections)a) To prepare for the establishment of the drug addicts rehabilitation centre in accordance with the
Drug Addicts Rehabilitation Act. B.E., which has been read by parliament, by working
harmoniously with other related organisation, public and private, through fostering national
cooperative efforts, however, it depends on the supportive resources from the government.

270

121ST INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSEPARTICIPANTS’ PAPERSb) To put emphasis on studying, and research for the appropriate approaches for working to
implement the July 10, 2001 resolutions of the council ministers. The Department of Probation
will be the principal organisation in the probation service at the suspension of prosecution
stage, trial and after the trial stage.
c) To put emphasis on having offender classification used by all offices, including to create anddevelop programmes to support classification.
d) To promote study and research in order to bring about innovation as well as alternatives on
probation to probation services aimed at reducing the workload and increasing the effectivenessbased on the resources in the community and social conditions.
At present there are 14 divisions and 88 probation offices throughout the country. Additionally,
there are two new divisions namely the Drug Addicts Rehabilitation Center and the Office of theSecretary of the Drug Addicts Rehabilitation Center.
After the public administration reform and restructuring the Ministry of Justice (October, 2002),
the organisational structure may change into 5 groups to conform with the mission as follows.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Probation and Treatment Development Group
Rehabilitation of Drug Addicts Group
Community Affairs and Community Service Group
Bangkok Probation Office Group
Probation Office Region 1-9 Group
Table 3. Manpower of Officials, Regular Employees and Temporary Employees
from 1997-2001
Manpower

Fiscal Year

Officials(Probation officers)

Regular Employees

Temporary Employees(Probation officers)

823 (528)961 (624)
961 (624)
961 (624)
985** (625)

304
333
333
333
333***

850 (490)
914 (490)
1,642* (493)
1,642* (493)992* (493)

1997
1998
1999
2000
2001

Remarks: *includes temporary employees of the projects under the supplemental expense measuresreleased by the government for encouraging the economic crisis. In the fiscal year 19992000 a total of 1,029 positions** manpower’s framework of government services were cancelled because of the early
retirement of 2 positions and 1 shortage*** permanent employees active placement and vacant positions.
Table 4. Budget
Granted Budgets From 1997-2001
Fiscal year

Budget (Baht)(April 26, 2002 100 yen = 33.69 baht)

1997
1998
1999
2000
2001

279,180,300
251,126,800
237,888,800
385,154,700
487,422,500*

271

RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 61* includes an amount for disseminating knowledge regarding mediation and the preliminary justicesystem to the general public 108,594,600 baht.
Requirements for Becoming a Thai Probation Officer
Education:
B.A. in Law, Criminology, Political Science (in Government or in Public
Administration) Social Science, Psychology, Sociology, Social Work
M.A. in Criminology, Social Administration (in Criminal Justice), Sociology,
Psychology
Criminal record: Must not have served a sentence of imprisonment for committing a crime, unless
it is for an offence committed by negligence or a petty offence
6. Juvenile Justice System
Thai law limits children’s criminal responsibility by their age. Children under 7 years old are notliable to criminal punishment. Those between 7 and 14 are not liable to any punishment either, but thelaw gives the court the option to use juvenile procedures, depending on the children’s behaviour andenvironment and other mitigating circumstances, thereby giving the children an opportunity to turnover a new leaf rather than punishing them severely as a deterrent. Above that age (15 years andolder), youths may have to face criminal punishment, but the court may use its discretion to reduce thesentence.
In provinces where there are Juvenile and Family Courts or Juvenile and Family Sections, thejuvenile justice system is applied including: rehabilitation, vocational training and family reunion.
However, in provinces with no such structure, adult procedures will be applied according to the natureand the extent of the offences, with the exception of the sentencing stage when the juvenile justice
standard is allowed by the law.
The death penalty and life imprisonment cannot be applied to children and youth and thepunishment cannot be increased due to repeated offences.
The law gives the investigating officer the right to detain the child for not more than 24 hours andwill then have to speedily send the child to an Observation and Protection Centre where the child will
be provided with appropriate accommodation. Child offenders have a right to bail during theinvestigation or during the trial. The bail procedures or criteria for bail application are not ascomplicated as the ones applied to adult offenders.
Sentencing of a child offender. The Juvenile and Family Court or the regular court may exercise thefollowing discretion in its decision:(i)

If the child commits a minor offence and his or her conduct is not damaging, the court may
admonish and then release the child unconditionally;(ii) If there are mitigating circumstances and the child’s conduct is not too damaging, the court may
consign the child to the care of his or her parents or legal guardian or the person with whom thechild has been living on condition that they pledge a bond with security;(iii) If the circumstances of the offence are violent and the child’s conduct is damaging, but the childdoes not deserve a sentence of criminal punishment, the court may consign the child to the care ofparents, legal guardian or the person with whom the child has been living, subject to a bond withsecurity and probation;(iv) If the circumstances of the offence are violent and the child’s conduct requires correction, the court
may order the child to be detained in an Observation and Protection Center for a certain period oftime which must not last longer than the offender’s twenty-fourth birthday. Alternatively, thecourt may order a maximum or minimum period of training at the Center;272

121ST INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSEPARTICIPANTS’ PAPERS(v)

If the circumstances of the offence are as serious as an adult’s and the child’s conduct is very
damaging and not conducive to the application of juvenile procedures, the court may sentence thechild to prison but the sentence must be reduced proportionally.

Treatment of juvenile offenders after the sentence. When the Juvenile and Family Court or regularcourt has passed a judgment on the child, if the child’s behaviour later improves, the court may
reconsider the case and order a better treatment for the child or youth offender. On the contrary, if thechild’s behaviour deteriorates, the court may instigate new controls on the child.
In a case where the court hands over the child to his parents, guardian or to the person with whom
the child resides, the court may determine the conditions for controlling behaviour of the child in thesame manner as provided in the Penal Code section 56. In such case the court shall appoint a probation
officer or any other official to control the behaviour of the child.
C. Situation, Problems and Solutions in the Criminal Justice Process
The crime rate in Thailand appears to have risen throughout the 1990s. The crime rate of the early
2000s is also predicted to increase. The cause of this is the influence of the impact of globalisation,technological development and economic and social modernization.
Table 5. Number of Reported Crimes in Thailand 1996-2000
Arrested
Major Types of Crime
Crimes against the Person
Property Crimes
Narcotics
Prostitution
Cheating and Fraud

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

18,711
28,581
178,994
6,085
2,335

19,10929,763
18,866
4,961
2,233

20,71737,726
243,661
6,853
2,825

21,481
34,779253,461
10,272
2,777

22,09935,377
275,551
11,591
3,099(Excerpt from http://www. Police.go.th/stat43.htm)
Table 6. Number of Criminal Cases Prosecuted During 2000-2001(The Courts of First Instance)
Major Types of Cases
Offences of Bodily Harm
Offences of Theft
Offences of Cheating and Fraud
Narcotics
Controlling Firearms Act

2000

2001

16,82836,172
2,765
238,907
17,451

17,73735,686
2,894
256,032
18,519Source: Annual Statistic Report 2000-2001 the Court of Justice.
1. Prison Overcrowding
The Thai correctional system, as elsewhere, is faced with a prison overcrowding problem, which isgrave and most urgent. The prison authority in their report to the higher authority do not seem to have
any immediate plan to cope with this problem. In 2002 there were 250,000 inmates being detained incorrectional facilities throughout Thailand. Of these, 62.05 per cent were convicted prisoners, and 38
per cent were on remand. Prisoners convicted of offences against narcotic laws form the largest group in
the prison population. Ninety-two per cent of prisoners had completed primary education while a small
number had completed higher education. There were only 0.5 per cent of prisoners who had completed

273

RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 61
university education. The prison population in Thailand has increased dramatically during the past ten
years, creating problems for the Department in carrying out its tasks effectively.
300,000
250,000
200,000
150,000

Prisoners

100,000
50,00001990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

Figure 1. Prison Population 1990 - 2002
Overcrowding became a serious problem for correctional administrators in the 1990s. The increasein the prison population in Thailand during the last decade has created a crisis in the country's
correctional system. With a maximum official capacity of 90,000, there are currently nearly 250,000
prisoners of all types incarcerated in prisons throughout Thailand. Although the Department wasallocated more new prisons, these new spaces were filled up in a very short time. Despite having a
Royal Decree of Pardon to relieve this overcrowding crisis from time to time, this is not a permanent
solution to the problem. After a few years, the prison population starts to climb back to the same level,
and continues to grow far beyond the overall capacity again. At present there are two measures that the
Department has used to relieve overcrowding: Good Time Allowances and Parole. Although a certain
number of prisoners are released on condition each year, that amount has generally remained the sameeven though there has been a large increase in the prison population, thereby doing little to help solve
the overcrowded conditions within the Thai correctional system.
(i) The Impact of Overcrowding
The impacts of overcrowding are numerous. The first and most important is the improper
implementation of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules (UNSMR) for the Treatment of
Prisoners. These rules require separation of prisoners taking into account factors such as sex, age,
criminal record and that accommodation has to meet all health requirements, climatic conditions, cubic
content of air, minimum floor space, lighting and ventilation.
Secondly, the uneven distribution of prison officers to prisoners make the task of a prison officer
very difficult. These factors contribute to the maintenance of discipline, which eventually has the effectof deteriorating the relationship between correction officers and inmates hence, destroying the notion of‘corrections’.
Thirdly, overcrowding has hampered the rehabilitation programmes, due to limited resources,
space, and materials, as well as being one of the causes of an increase in corruption within prisons.
(ii) Causes of Overcrowding
The causes of overcrowding in the prisons can be identified by examining the processes of thecriminal justice agencies in the country with specific references to the criminal policy, police, publicprosecutors, courts, and corrections. Each of these agencies has its own measures to divert
incarceration, ranging from the pre-sentencing stage to the post-sentencing stage. However, theexisting measures have never been used widely due to limitation of each particular agency. For
example: the limitation in the laws; the amount of bail surety and restrictions; the lengthy trial; thelack of cooperation, the lack of ultimate goals, with a concentration on individual agency’s goals only,and so on. These factors need a comprehensive plan at the national level, and such a plan must274

121ST INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSEPARTICIPANTS’ PAPERS
acknowledge the merit of diversion, and encourage all agencies concerned to be aware of theovercrowding and pain of imprisonment.
The major causes of overcrowding in Thailand can be summarized into a few reasons, which are: theharsh policy on drug use, long sentences, little use of non institutional treatment, greater reliance on
imprisonment as a sentencing option, and a low rate of bail granted to accused persons. In coping withovercrowding, the prison authority may not be able to contain this problem by itself, but the entire
criminal justice system must come to share this problem and endorse solutions, which every agency
must carry out accordingly with the objective to minimize the use of incarceration.
The Limitation of Non-Institutional Treatment
Although non-institutional measures have existed within the Thai correctional system for a longtime, the measures are yet to be implemented widely. There are reasons that contribute to thislimitation as follows:(iii)Conflicting Policy
The Thai criminal justice system values the use of non-institutional treatment, and efforts havebeen made to expand these measures as recommended by the United Nations. However, there isanother policy that the Thai criminal justice system has to adhere to, which is the policy on narcotics.
This policy stipulates guidelines for criminal justice agencies to implement in order to cope with the
spread of narcotics in society. With regards to the correctional system, drug related inmates shallreceive neither privileges nor early release in order to deter them from committing offences. As
indicated previously, the majority of inmates (62 per cent) in the Thai correctional system are for drugrelated offences, and thus they must be barred from receiving privileges such as parole and pardons.
These conflicting policies have resulted in a lower number of inmates being released on conditions.
(iv) Lack of New Initiatives
Over the past 66 years, only three modifications have been made to the Prison Act B.E. 2479 (1936).
The first was in 1977 whereby a Good Time Allowance System or remission was introduced in order torelieve overcrowding. The second modification, in 1979, enabled those who were being detained under
lawful orders to earn the status of convicted prisoners under this Act. After that, there were changes in1980 whereby the Public Works Allowance system was introduced so as to allow the Thai Department ofCorrections to send selected convicts to engage in public work activities and earn sentence remissions.
However, there has been no internal or independent external commission or committee appointed tolook into the problems of prison conditions or prisoner's rights in Thailand. These few modifications,and the lack of government attention, indicate that ideas relating to prison law reform which directly
address the issue of prison conditions as well as the non-institutional measures in Thailand have yet to
be developed.
(v) Shortage of Staff
In the fiscal year 2002, the Department employed 11,295 correctional staff of all ranks and types.
During the previous 10 years, the number of correctional officers has slightly increased when comparedto the growth of the prison population. From 1986 to 1995 there was only a 1 per cent increase in staff
numbers. The Department is short of specialist staff to carry out its rehabilitation function. Most of thestaff were custodial officers whose duty was to carry out daily routine prison operations.
(vi) Restrictions on Rules and Regulations
The other reasons that hamper the expansion of non-institutional treatment in the Thai
correctional system is the restriction on rules and regulations. As mentioned earlier, during the past 66
years of the Thai Prison Act BE 2479 (1936), there were only a few modifications in the laws. Thus,
most of the rules and regulations have been in practice for more than 60 years. These obsolete rules andregulations are one of the main reasons that there are only 2 per cent of convicted inmates being
treated in the community.

275

RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 61(vii)Solutions
There are several ways and means to contain prison overcrowding. There is for example theenhancement of understanding and co-operation between all agencies involved in the criminal justicesystem. The expansion of non-institutional measures to be implemented at all stages of the criminal
justice system, by acknowledging that “Imprisonment should only be considered as a last resort, taking
into account the nature and gravity of the offence, victim's rights, personal circumstances of the offenderand the impact on the community.” (UNSMR, article 2, 3)
The solutions above are just some of the measures that can be considered and implemented toreduce the problem of overcrowding in prisons. However, the authorities must ensure that thesemeasures cannot be achieved without full understanding and co-operation of all the agencies concerned.
Moreover, prison authorities should invite other agencies to visit prisons in order to obtain first hand
information such as statistics, existing prisoners and problems encountered.
2. The Policies of the Thai Government to Solve the Criminal Problem
Because of the increasing crime rate, the fact that incarceration has not succeeded in reducing thecrime rate, the prison population increases every year and the badly organised agencies in the Thaicriminal justice system, we have the problem of a huge caseload. Another grave concern is the shortageof staff and the lack of effective process. So the policy of the Thai Government (February 26, 2001)
contained in the development of the Legal Process and Legal Reform, is a commitment to improving
efficiency in the criminal justice system.
The Government will undertake the following:(i) Accelerate the process of restructuring the Ministry of Justice to provide it with a role andresponsibility covering the legal process in a thorough and efficient manner.
(ii) Encourage and support the use of settlement measures other than through court settlements inorder that such measures can serve as a tool for consumers, the public, the under privileged and thedisadvantaged to ensure that their rights are protected and safeguarded.
(iii) Revise the system and procedures in which offenders are treated, making them more diverse andcapable of providing for the rehabilitation of such offenders in an efficient manner.
(iv) Encourage communities, members of the public, and people’s organisations to be more involved in
the legal process as well as in setting policy for the administration of justice.
(v) Accelerate the reform of any outdated laws, rules and regulations in line with the country’s present
economic and social conditions, while making them flexible enough to cope with future variations.
(vi) Promote more research and studies in law and other fields related to both public and private
sectors. This will, in turn, lead to the amendment and revision of existing laws or the proposal ofdraft legislation that is significant to and necessary for the country’s development.
In order to deal with the drug problem more efficiently, the Royal Thai Government issued thePrime Minister’s Order No. 119/2001 (B.E. 2544) on 31th May 2001. This Order is a major plan by theGovernment to eliminate drugs from Thai society under the strategy on “Concerted Efforts of the
Nation to Overcome Drugs.” Three solutions were offered: 1) control illicit drugs, 2) treat drug addicts,
and 3) prevent drug abuse.
To control illicit drugs, chemicals and precursors used for producing drugs will be strictly controlled
while suppression and interception of the drugs coming from outside the country will be systematicallycarried out. Suppression of drug trafficking will be focused mainly on major traffickers. The prosecution
and punishment process will be improved to accelerate drug cases for punishing the drug offenders as
quickly as possible.

276

121ST INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSEPARTICIPANTS’ PAPERS
To treat drug addicts, treatment and rehabilitation programmes will be improved to serve all kindsof addicts sufficiently. This involves using military camps and governmental agencies that are wellequipped to be additional treatment centres.
To prevent drug abuse, the government will encourage public awareness on the dangers of narcotic
drugs, which has threatened Thai people and the country as a whole for years. Local communities will
be targeted in the implementation of the drug prevention measures which will make them strong
enough to fight against drugs.
Besides, public administration reform and development which has been an important policy of theThai Government and the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand, 1997 (B.E.2540) aims to guarantee
greater rights and freedoms to the people. It would also set up new bodies to protect the public fromabuses of power by the state and would ensure that the criminal justice system is more open and gives
greater transparency and accountability.
II. COMMUNITY-BASED TREATMENT OF OFFENDERSIn Thailand, informal justice alternatives have been widely used for a long time. Personal relations
and close-knitted social solidarity play a significant role in crime prevention. But formal criminal
justice community solutions have only appeared recently in the legal system.
According to Penal Code 1956 (B.E.2499) there are 5 types of punishment that offenders may
receive: capital punishment; imprisonment; confinement; fine and forfeiture of property. Of thesepunishments, imprisonment is preferable because of the penal concept of integrating retribution,
deterrence and rehabilitation. So the prison population in Thailand has increased every year and theprison system is overcrowded and so the concepts of using non-custodial measures were developed.
A. Non-Institutional Treatment Except for Probation
The Thai correctional system recognizes the importance of non-institutional treatment, underwhich a few measures are available to convicted inmates as an incentive to motivate their good
behaviour. The aims of non-institutional measures are to mobilize community resources to rehabilitate
offenders, instead of relying solely on the authorities. The principle behind these aims is that offenders
are members of society who will eventually return to society. Thus, community treatment should beavailable to some categories of offenders to suit their needs. Inmates serving their sentence in thecommunity may have more time to readjust themselves towards the family and community. Noninstitutional measures may also help to alleviate prison overcrowding to a certain extent.
Accordingly, the Thai Prisons Act BE 2479 (1936) Article 32 stipulates that “Convicted inmates who
demonstrate good conduct, diligence, progress in education or work, or support prison activities, may
receive one or more privileges such as Parole, Good Time Allowance (ordinary) and Good Time Allowance
accumulated by means of public works, etc.” Convicted inmates who earn Parole or Good time
Allowances may be released from prisons prior to the end of their sentences to serve the remainder ofthe sentence in the community, provided that they comply with regulations laid down by the prison
authority. Breaching of such regulations may result in the termination of privileges resulting in theinmate being brought back to prison to serve the remainder of their sentence.
The Thai Department of Corrections is fully aware of the impact of the overcrowding situation,
therefore non-institutional measures have been encouraged to alleviate the problems. In the year 1977,
Volunteer Parole Officers were recruited to assist full time Parole Officers in supervising the inmates.
Since then, there are nearly 12,000 Volunteer Parole Officers deployed in every Sub-district throughout
Thailand. Moreover, these non-institutional treatment measures were endorsed by the National
Economics and Social Development Board as a solution to the overcrowded prison problem, and as apart of the National Human Resource Development Plan.
1. Parole
Parole is a measure that encourages inmates to behave while incarcerated. Inmates in the Good
class1 and above who demonstrate their: good conduct; progress in education; diligence; and support

277

RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 61
prison activities, may be granted parole. Parole enables inmates to be on conditional release fromprison, and undergo a supervision period till the end of their sentence. This measure does not affectjudicial authority as the sentence is not shortened. It is considered an alternative treatment underwhich inmates are not necessarily detained in prisons to serve the sentence. Inmates who are on parole
still retain prisoner status until the end of the supervision period. Parole is also a mechanism that
foster inmates' s readjustment toward society, because there are conditions set out for them to comply
to. Those who fail to comply with their conditions will be returned to prison to serve the remainder of
their sentence.
Inmates will be eligible for parole when two thirds of their sentence has been served, provided thatthey are in the Good Class and above. The minimum time served shall be changed to 10 years if
prisoners receive a life sentence. Accordingly, the maximum parole period that may be granted toeligible inmates is set out in accordance with prisoner class, and is as follows:
1. Excellent Class inmates may receive a parole period up to one-third of the sentence.
2. Very Good Class inmates may receive a parole period up to one-fourth of the sentence
3. Good Class inmates may receive a parole period up to one-fifth of the sentence
Parole Procedures
Parole is not a right of every inmate, but it is a privilege for well behaved ones. The Director
General of Corrections has the authority to grant parole. However, since there are over 150,000
convicted inmates in the Thai correctional system, parole committees have been set up at each prison.
These committees are responsible for considering and recommending any inmates to be paroled. The
procedures state that every 6 months, duty officers shall carefully select inmates under their control
who both meet the requirements, show their good conduct and progress in rehabilitation. They will thensubmit a recommendation to the parole committee of the prison. The committee shall investigate, as
well as gather all information necessary to submit recommendations to the Director-General. The
Director-General may grant parole to any prisoners recommended.
At the departmental level, there is also a committee appointed by the Director-General to double
check all recommendations before passing them on to the Director-General. Examples of conditions forparolees to comply to are as follows:
•
•
•
•
•
•

Report monthly to the prison authority or local police station or district office;
Dwell at the approved address;
Perform lawful occupations;
Cooperate with volunteer parole officers who will regularly visit them;Remain within a designated area or province;
Refrain from consuming drugs and alcohol, and so on.

Failure to comply with such regulations may result in their return to prison to serve the remainderof their sentence.
Table 7. Prisoners Released on Parole (1987-2002)

1

Year

No. ofConvicted
Prisoners

ParoleRecommended

ParoleGranted

Percentage ofConvicts on Parole

Failure
Cases

1987

37,729

2,981

2,778

7.36

46

1988

41,276

1,226

787

1.91

6

1989

23,899

1,644

1,220

5.10

8

1990

27,794

1,830

1,768

6.36

7

Convicted inmates are classified into 6 classes, which are Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Bad and Very Bad. Each class isentitled to different privileges.

278

121ST INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSEPARTICIPANTS’ PAPERSYear

No. ofConvicted
Prisoners

ParoleRecommended

ParoleGranted

Percentage ofConvicts on Parole

Failure
Cases

1991

31,754

1,251

956

3.01

1

1992

33,454

950

945

2.82

12

1993

36,944

1,720

1,282

3.47

4

1994

30,892

2,367

2,088

6.76

40

1995

64,746

2,572

2,114

3.27

52

1996

65,366

1,325

805

1.23

36

1997

75,320

1,731

1,114

1.48

7

1998

97,027

1,607

1,016

1.05

24

1999

125,258

1,440

1,071

0.86

29

2000

219,716

655

504

0.23

8

2001

247,865

2,447

1,832

0.74

9

2002

248,223

1,606

1,369

0.53

10

The reason why the number of parolees in Thailand is considerably low is because:
1. The Ministry of Interior Regulations concerning this issue contradicts the Prison Act. According
to the Prison Act, convicted inmates may be eligible for parole after one-third of the sentence
has been served. However, the Ministry Regulations narrow this down by stating that excellent
class inmates may receive parole for a period of not more than one-third of the sentence.
2. The inmates configuration in Thailand consist of 38% of remands and they are therefore unable
to receive parole.
3. Among convicted inmates in Thailand more than 65% are imprisoned on narcotics charges forwhich they are not eligible for parole.
4. Parole is not a right of every inmate, but it is a privilege for the well behaved ones.
5. Certain types of offences by convicted inmates may not receive parole even though they meet therequirements. These offences include, for example, gunmen or professional killers.
2. Good Time Allowances
Good Time Allowances are another measure that enable inmates to be released prior to thetermination of their sentence. It was introduced to the Thai correctional system in 1978 as a result ofovercrowding. Inmates in the Good class and above who demonstrate their: good conduct; progress ineducation; diligence; and support prison activities, may receive Good Time Allowances. This means,
inmates are to be on conditional release from prisons, and undergo a supervision period until the end of
their sentence. This measure does not affect judicial authority and the sentence is not shortened.
Inmates released by this measure still retain prisoner status until the end of the supervision period.
This measure is considered as an alternative treatment under which inmates are not necessarily
detained in prisons to serve their sentence. Inmates who fail to comply with supervision conditions will
be returned to prison to serve the remaining sentence.

279

RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 61
Inmates in the Good Class and above may receive Good Conduct Allowances of no more than 5 daysa month, that accumulate until the amount of days they received is equivalent to the remaining
sentence. Then, they will be released under conditions for supervision till the termination of theirsentences. The Ministerial Regulations state the number of days that prisoners may earn in accordancewith their class as follows:
1. Inmates in Excellent Class may earn 5 days a month
2. Inmates in Very Good Class may earn 4 days a month
3. Inmates in Good Class may earn 3 days a month
ProceduresGood Time Allowances are not a right granted to every inmate, but only to those who are well
behaved. Despite having accumulated as much as a few years, inmates may not be released on thismeasure if they are not well behaved or breach rules and regulations. Deprivation of Good Time
Allowances may be imposed on inmates as a punishment.
The procedure begins when prison officials submit the report of each inmate whose earning of good
conduct allowance is equivalent to the remaining sentence. The report is submitted to the Committee
for Considering Granting Good Time Allowances to Inmates. The committee is comprised ofrepresentatives from the Department of Social Welfare, Police Department, Psychiatry Department;
and the Director General of the Corrections Department as the chairperson, and has the authority to
grant or withhold the allowances that inmates have earned. Generally speaking, most of the cases
brought to the committee are likely to be granted, except under unusual circumstances.
Conditions for inmates released on Good Time Allowances are set the same as those on parole. For
example: report monthly to prison authority or local police station or district office; dwell at theapproved address; perform a lawful occupation; cooperate with volunteer parole officers who will
regularly visit them; restricted to a designated areas or province; shall not consume drug and alcohol,and so on. Failure to comply with such regulations may result in their return to prison to serve theremainder of their sentence.
Table 8. Convicted Inmates Released on Good Time Allowance (1996-2001)
Years

Earned GTA

Number of Convicted
InmatesRule Violations

1996

17,54370,85710

1997

18,67074,974

11

1998

17,671

88,476

9

1999

23,056113,258

8

2000

18,618143,32916

2001

25,981147,049

13

3. Public Work AllowancesThis measure was subsequently introduced to the Thai correctional system in 1980 to provide an
employment opportunity for inmates, and utilise prison labour for community interests. This measureenables prison officials to send convicted inmates whose remaining sentence is less than 2 years toengage in public works outside the prisons. The numbers of days they work are recorded as remission
days. The work is for example: construction, cleaning public areas, sewerage cleaning and so on. Oncethe number of accumulated remission days is equivalent to the remaining sentence, such inmates will
be released on supervision. Moreover, inmates who engage in these public work projects are entitled to
80 per cent of the net profits earned from their work.

280

121ST INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSEPARTICIPANTS’ PAPERS
There are conditions set out for considering sending any inmates to work outside prisons on public
work projects. For example, inmates under narcotic charges; internal and external security charges;
and charges against the monarch, are not allowed to partake. The work shall be limited to government,
local authority, or state enterprises only. Inmates to be sent out must be fit both mentally andphysically, and have a remaining sentence of no more than 2 years, as well as have the minimum time
served according to their classes as follows:
1.
2.
3.
4.

One-fifth for Excellent class prisoners
One-fourth for Very Good class prisoners
One-third for Good class prisoners
Half for Fair class prisoners

Procedure
The procedure begins when prison officials submit a proposal to send inmates to work on publicprojects to the Department of Corrections. The proposal must provide details, like: the number of days
to work, source of funds, project owner and so on. Once the proposal is approved as a public work
project, inmates who engage in this project are entitled to earn a sentence remission, and share 80 per
cent of the net profit gained from the projects. A sentence remission earned from the public work can be
combined on top of the remission days earned from good conduct allowances.
Inmates will be qualified for release under this measure when their accumulated remission days
are equivalent to the remaining sentence. Prison officials shall submit a report of each inmate to thesame committee for considering granting good time allowances. The numbers of remission days may be
revoked as a punishment if they are not well behaved or breach rules and regulations.
Conditions for supervision are set the same as those on good time allowance. Failure to comply withsuch conditions may result in the prisoner being returned to serve the remainder of their sentence.
In 2001, there were 5,520 prisoners engaged in 301 projects throughout Thailand. The total budget
involved in these projects was 300,000,000 baht.
4. The Royal King’s Pardons
The Royal King’s Pardon is part of the sovereignty that the King as the head of state may grant toanyone. With a long history of an absolute monarchy, the King of Thailand retains the right to pardon.
Under the Constitution, The King has power to grant pardon to commute, reduce or terminate
sentences with or without conditions. Such pardons would overrule all previous convictions.
The Royal King's pardon serves several purposes such as: to solve a miscarriage of justice; to restore
equal justice to offenders; to restore the country’s unity; to provide opportunity for offenders; to markimportant national occasions; to foster international relations and so on. There are two types of theRoyal King's Pardon, which are: collective pardon and individual pardon.
The Collective Pardon
Whenever there is an important event in the country, such as: to mark their Majesties 60th
Anniversary, the Golden Jubilee and so on, the Cabinet may submit a recommendation to His Majesty
the King to consider granting the Royal King's pardon to commemorate these important events.
Conditions to which inmates can benefit under the Royal Decree of Pardon are laid down by an ad
hoc drafting committee. Such a committee is comprised of representatives from various government
departments such as: Ministry of Interior, Police Department, Office of the Attorney General, Ministryof Justice, Office of His Majesty's Principle Private Secretary, Department of Corrections, and so on.
Conditions written in each Decree vary from one to another depending upon: situations, crime trends,
government penal policy, etc. Generally, each of the Decrees stipulates three main conditions as follows:
1. Conditions for those who are eligible for release. This may include: those who have less than 6months to be served; disabled persons with total blindness, loss of both hands or feet; those who are
suffering with a serious illness; pregnant inmates who have less than 1 year to be served; those who

281

RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 61
are over 60 years old and have served more than 5 years; those who are under 20 years old and have
served more than half of their sentence, and those who are on conditional release, and so on.
The Royal Decree of Pardon may also stipulate conditions for those to be released to adhere to for acertain period after release. These conditions are for example: refrain from using drugs, report
regularly to a designated authority, etc.
2. Conditions for those who are eligible for sentence commutations. Those who are not qualified under
the above said conditions may have their sentence commuted according to their class. The reductionof each Decree varies from one to another.
The following is an example of how the Decree commutes prisoner sentences:(i) Death Sentence inmates shall have their sentence commuted to life imprisonment.
(ii) Life sentence inmates shall have their sentence commuted to 40 year imprisonment.
(iii)Those who are on definite imprisonment terms shall have their sentence reduced according totheir classes. The reduction terms range from half for inmates in Excellent class to one-seventh
for those who are in Very Bad class.
3. Conditions for those who do not benefit under the Decree. Prisoners who receive neither release nor
sentence reduction are for example, those who committed: serious drug offences, serious crimes or
any other crimes stipulated in the Decree.
Throughout the history of the Thai correctional system, there have been a number of Royal King's
Pardons granted to inmates to commemorate important national events. Each of the pardons enables
thousands of inmates to be released from prisons. This in turn helps to temporarily solve prison
overcrowding.
Table 9. Royal King’s Pardons Granted Between 1977-1999
Year

Unconditional
ReleaseSentence
Remission

Royal Marriage of HRH Crown Prince

1977

13,35922,319His Majesty the King’s 50th Anniversary Birthday

1977

17,53923,010Royal Ordination of HRH Crown Prince

1979

12,03332,158Her Majesty the Queen’s Birthday

1980

16,16429,661

Bangkok Bicentennial

1982

18,43836,188His Majesty the King’s 60th Anniversary Birthday

1987

37,40046,603

His Majesty Longest Accession to the Throne

1988

22,922

34,21590th Anniversary of the Princess Mother1990

20,13332,697

Her Majesty the Queen’s 60th Anniversary

1992

30,62035,861

His Majesty the King’s 50 Year Accession to the Throne

1996

24,751

57,815

His Majesty the King’s 6th Cycle Birthday

1999

23,94030,681

OccasionsIndividual King's Pardon
Any convicted inmate or their relatives has the right to submit a petition to His Majesty the Kingfor royal clemency. This is stipulated in the Penal Code and the Penitentiary Act. Prison officials, uponreceiving such a petition, shall forward it to His Majesty the King through a designated channel. The
channel begins at prison where all the information on prisoners is filed. It is then forwarded to the
Department Headquarters, to the Minister of Interior, to the Prime Minister, to the Office of His
Majesty Principle Privy Secretary, to the Privy Council and to His Majesty the King. However, once thepetition is denied, a prisoner has to wait for two years to re-submit his/her petition.

282

121ST INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSEPARTICIPANTS’ PAPERS
Death sentence inmates shall not be executed once they have submitted a petition to His Majesty
the King for royal pardon. As long as there is no further notice whether or not the Royal King's pardon
is granted or denied, such prisoners remain on death row.
5. Boot Camp
Boot camp is a military regime for drug offenders. Under this regime offenders are treated inmilitary style whereby conditions and the daily routine are strict just like in a military camp. Boot
camp was introduced into the prison system after several modes of treatment regime had been tried,such as punitive, rehabilitative, medical and the desert model. In Thailand, the boot camp was
introduced into the Thai justice system in 2001 because the Department of Corrections is suffering froma severe overcrowding crisis, under which drug-related inmates are the majority. The Thai authorities
believe that the military should participate in helping in such a crisis. Accordingly, military barracks
were transformed into treatment centres for drug addicted inmates.
Drug-addicted inmates whose sentence is less than 1 year may be sent to these camps forrehabilitation under a strict military regime for a period of 3 months. Apart from the training, they will
be educated on the harm of drugs as well as counselling. Once they complete the training at the bootcamp they will be released on condition and be supervised until the end of their original sentence. Since
2001, 5,000 inmates have participated in the boot camp programme.
B. Probation in Thailand
Probation as an alternative to imprisonment has been accepted as a possible solution to prison
overcrowding. These measures are considered to be more useful to society rather than a traditionalterm of imprisonment. There are two agencies responsible for offenders to be placed on probation. The
Observation and Protection Center is responsible for juvenile offenders and the Department of
Probation is responsible for adult offenders.
1. The Observation and Protection Center
The juvenile system in Thailand aims at rehabilitation and has special judicial proceeding forchildren and youth as is evident from the adoption of the Act Instituting the Juvenile and Family
Courts and the Juvenile and Family Procedures of 1991. This Act covers children and youths charged
with criminal offences. They must not be confined with adults nor in cells as part of the child rights
protection measures.
At the juvenile and family Court, where the child is formally charged, the court will not strictly
follow regular criminal court proceedings and cannot condemn a child to imprisonment. But the system
of Juvenile and Family Courts is limited and does not yet cover all parts of the country. The number ofchildren in the Observation and Protection Centers is on the rise.
Reasons for the Overcrowding of Juvenile Institutions(i) Juveniles awaiting trial
The rapid increase in the juvenile crime rate especially the increase of juvenile drug abusers since1996. In general, a case will take 90 days before it is tried, excessive requirements for bail orinadequate use of bail provisions, these have also increased the untried juveniles population.
(ii) Trainees after adjudication
A training institution which is a minimum security detention facility is a preferable or analternative place. Diversion from juvenile justice to non-institutional treatment is not preferable. Other
reasons are long treatment sentence and the large numbers admitted to juvenile training school forjuvenile drug offences also the increase of juvenile populations.
Measures to Reduce Overcrowding of Juvenile Institutions
In order to reduce the number of untried juveniles in remand homes, the following measures would
be effective at the pre-trial stage such as warning, summons, application of voluntary investigation,suspended prosecution and bail.

283

RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 61
Institution treatment should not be a routine recommendation or adjudication process but should
be a measure imposed as a last resort and for the minimum necessary period. Moreover,
implementation for non-institutional treatment (such as diversion, probation, restitution, community
service, temporary release, pre-release) and semi-institutional arrangements (such as half-way houses,
educational homes, day-time training centers) should be taken to reduce the judiciary’s heavy caseload,
juvenile institutional overcrowding and the high financial cost of maintaining the institutional system.
Participation of Citizens in Rehabilitation of Juvenile Offenders
For the successful treatment and rehabilitation of juvenile offenders in the community, the citizens’
positive attitude to and involvement in programmes are indispensable factors. In Thailand, it isofficially organised and mobilized by Volunteer Probation Officers and Para-Probation Officers (thetemporary employees probation officer of the Observation and Protection Center) who assist probation
officers in helping rehabilitation of probationers. Furthermore, voluntary organisations, local
institutions and other community resources shall be called upon on to contribute effectively to therehabilitation of juveniles in a community setting and as far as possible, within the family unit. Therecan also be found a variety of activities for citizens, voluntary organisation, local institutions and othercommunity resources to be involved in the prevention of juvenile crime and the rehabilitation ofjuvenile offenders.
2. The Procedure for Adult Probation
Pre-Sentence Investigation
It begins when the criminal court orders probation officers to investigate the offenders (who havebeen found guilty of the criminal acts) and to submit pre-sentence reports to the courts within 15 days.
The matter of age, previous records, behaviour, intellect, education, physical and mental health, habit,occupation and environment of the offenders together with the nature of their offences and otherextenuating circumstances are investigated and scrutinized. In the pre-sentence reports, probation
officers give their opinions concerning the offenders under investigation, for instance,(i) What kind of people they really are;(ii) Whether or not they want probation;(iii)Whether or not they will be dangerous to society if they are placed under probation; and(iv) What type of treatment will be suitable for them, considering the safety of society and thebenefit to the offender.
The probation officers also give their suggestions concerning appropriate treatment measures to thecourts in their recommendations. However, the courts need not follow their recommendations.
Supervision
It begins after the offenders have been placed under probation. In this case some probation
conditions are provided by the courts and the probation officers are authorized to supervise theoffenders in accordance with the conditions laid down by the courts.
Supervision consists of three important elements, namely,(i) Surveillance
The probationers must report periodically to the probation officers and the probation officers
must also visit their homes or their places of work at least once a month to see whether they
behave themselves and whether they have any problems adjusting themselves at home or at
work.
(ii) Service
Probation officers check to see whether the probationers need any help in terms of needs, i.e.
food, shelter, academic, vocational skills, employment or medicine, and whether they can beprovided or referred to any community organisations for help.

284

121ST INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSEPARTICIPANTS’ PAPERS(iii)Counselling
The probation officers should help the probationers and their family members to understand the
problems they are facing, and how they can help in solving the problems.
Operating Results of Pre-Sentence Investigation and Supervision
In 2001, all probation offices under the Department of Probation were authorized by the courts to
conduct pre-sentence investigation and supervision of offenders under the Probation Procedure Act inaccordance with the Penal Code 1979 (B.E. 2522), 42,898 cases and 94,962 cases, respectively. In
addition, there were 128,928 cases that have been supervised continuously from 2000. The total
amount of supervision cases in 2001 was 223,890, including new cases, while in the past one year
terminations accounted for 100,101 cases from which 69,417 (69.35%) completed the probation terms
well and 30,684 (30.65%) cases violated the conditions of probation. Presently, there are 123,789
probationers.
Community Affairs
Probation services involving community based corrections have been widely recognized as analternative treatment to terms of imprisonment. The alternatives have proved themselves to be aneffective means of reducing crime rates. Realizing the value of the community based corrections’approach, the Department of Probation has aimed to encourage and to promote the general public’s
awareness of communities participation in the processes of the probationers’ rehabilitation by creating
project work plans and activities that could be useful for the probationer’s rehabilitation. Furthermore,
the Department has also developed volunteer probation projects in order to gather, recruit and selectsuitable persons to be volunteer probation officers and to deal with probationers (currently there are
6,691 VPOs).
The project work plans and activities to be given to the probationers in order to modify their
behaviour as mentioned before are, for example:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Religious group study and group therapy;
Counselling programme;
Ordination programme;
Basic educational programme;
Job placement programme;
Bail project for the accused;
Community service programme;
Other suitable training courses.
Progression of Community Affairs of All Probation Offices in 2001
Table 10. Treatment Tasks
Activities

No. of probationers
19,801
22,7382,447
8318

Orientation
Religious group therapy• Morality group study• Ordination programme
Psychological counselling program
Total

45,312285

RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 61
Table 11. Community Service•••

Activities

No. of Probationers

Probationers ordered by courts
Probationers who completed the community service’s condition inaccordance with court’s orders
Probationers who voluntarily participated in community service’s
activities

68,814
47,105
66,778

Table 12. Social Welfare Tasks
Activities
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

No. of Probationers

Basic education programme
Job placement programme
Vocational training
To lend money for making a living
Food welfare
Vehicle Welfare
Hospital’s fees
Bail project for defendants
Others
Total

22
400
1,426
69
34,211
4,893
481
81
14
14,597

Volunteer Probation Officer
The role of the citizen in crime prevention and the criminal justice system is due to the growing
belief among criminal justice officials that they cannot or should not carry the full burden of crime
control without public participation. In addition, there has been a tremendous increase in the caseloadof probation services, and the probation officer has been unable to devote enough time to rehabilitate
and assist probationers effectively. The main point of Volunteer Probation Officers is to convince thepublic to participate in probation services and to ease the heavy caseload caused by the lack ofprobation officers.
According to the Regulations of the Ministry of Justice 1985 (B.E.2528), volunteers are to pursue
the tasks of supervising and assisting both juvenile and adults probationer. Upon receiving the cases,
assigned on the basis of job placement, volunteer probation officer are expected to do as follows to:(i) Examine the probationer’s background, habits, social interactions, probation conditions, etc. inorder to understand his or her basic problems and needs which will be useful in planningsuitable approaches in dealing with him or her;(ii) Make a home or working place visit on a regular basis at least once a month;(iii)Provide the client counselling and assistance in order to help him or her to be able to maintainprobation conditions, handle and manage daily problems and crises, and lead a normal life as a
law-abiding citizen;(iv) Report the performance to the supervising probation officer on a regular basis, as evaluations
and suggestions are considered to be a real benefit to the rehabilitation of probationers;(v) Support the probationers by: finding jobs, providing education funds to the probationer,
donating money to the Foundation for the Rehabilitation of and After Care Services for
Offenders, etc.
Qualifications to be a volunteer include:286

121ST INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSEPARTICIPANTS’ PAPERS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Must be at least 20 years of age
Live in a permanent residence
Must be literate
Honest and moral
Have suitable income
Maintain law-abiding behaviour
Complete required training course, provided by the Ministry of Justice
Have no criminal record except for petty offences or negligence.

Progression of the volunteer probation officer project in the fiscal year 2001, volunteer probation
officers were responsible for 16,661 cases and finished 5,127 cases.
Other Significant Projects(i) The Narcotics Camp for Probationers and Family Project (A New Step Camp)The Department of Probation has set up the Narcotics Camp for Probationers and the Family
Project (A New Step Camp). Its purpose is to promote the understanding of narcotics and the way totreat drug addicts correctly, including making probationers respect themselves and other people, andlive their lives peacefully and develop their potential. And promote cooperation amongst the related
agencies in the field of the prevention of narcotics and to create a network to deal with narcotics
problems effectively. The Project also required the cooperation of many agencies such as the Ministry of
Defence the Ministry of Public Health, and the Royal Thai Police. Fiscal year 2001 is the first year for
running this project, and according to the plan, the probation offices under the Department have to set
up the narcotics camp and carry out 57 camps for 1,857 probationers and 1,523 persons from theirfamilies participating in the family project.
(ii) Project on Disseminating Knowledge Regarding Mediation and the Preliminary Justice System to
the General Public
The objectives are:
1. Promote and disseminate the mediation system and arbitration to the general public
2. Disseminate the knowledge of mediation and the preliminary justice system to the generalpublic such as sub-districts, administration’s member and community leaders
3. Reinforce understanding and a good relationship among civilians, the bureaucracy andgovernment agencies.
This project is a one-day training course conducted by the probation offices throughout the country,
this training is held twice a month. In the fiscal year 2001, there were 292,617 people who completed
the training.
(iii)The Adjustment of the Department of Probation’s Framework
The Department of Probation is currently in the process of adjusting its framework in accordancewith the government’s policy. After the Court of Justice separated from the Ministry of Justice, theResolution of the Council of Ministers dated July 10, 2001 authorized the Department of Probation to
be the principal organisation of probation at all stages of the criminal justice process, and of social workof offenders who are released from probation and aftercare process from the Department of Corrections.
They are also responsible for the Drug Addicts Rehabilitation Center in accordance with the Drug
Addicts Rehabilitation Act 2002 (B.E. 2545).
It had the effect of increasing the responsibilities of the Department of Probation while there is a
manpower shortage, and probation officers have to work overloads more than the standard required by
the Office of the Civil Service Commission. The Committee of Adjustment of the Department of
Probations was set up to adjust the framework in order to comply with the new responsibilities.
The Committee is now drafting the Department’s framework, shown by the organisation chart
attached, and the draft has already been submitted to the Ministry of Justice and the Office of the Civil
Service Commission. The details of the adjusted framework show that the practitioners or lines
functions could work as a one-stop service and could respond to the general public’s demands

287

RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 61
immediately and effectively, including the evaluation of on-the-job performance focusing on theprofession of practitioners and their career progression.
Problems of Probation Administration and Practice(i) Shortage of Professional Probation Officers
While the Department of Probation conducts the Probation Offices Opening Project to promote theimplementation of the probation service toward the general public, emphasising justice and otheradvantages equally, the Civil Servant Commission has limited the increase in government officials.
Employing temporary probation officers and volunteer probation officers to assist professional
probation officers has been the solution, however, there are limits to the amount they can do and theircapability.
(ii) Lack of Training
There are a few training courses and outdated training programmes. Employee probation officers do
not get enough training.
(iii) Moderate Salaries and Low Morale
Probation officers receive moderate salaries compared to other officers (judges and prosecutors)
while they have a high caseload. Many probation officers have low morale and leave the service forbetter paid jobs or easier jobs.
(iv) High Caseload
The high caseload is brought about by a shortage of probation officers and probation officers have
many roles (pre-sentence investigation, supervision, community affairs project and policy projects, etc.).
This problem makes probation officers do routine and documentary work more than active work,
playing the role of law enforcement workers instead of that of social workers or counsellors.
Solutions
In fact, all the problems above are chronic problems in the Thai Probation System and this situationis common in other countries. The attempt to solve these problems in the past was not serious becausesome executives thought that these were anomalous and instead they paid more attention tooperational duties required by the Ministry of Justice or the cabinet.
However, at the present the policies of the government to restructure the Ministry of Justice impact
on the reorganisation of the Department of Probation. The Administration must improve and theStrategic Plan and Operational Plan 2002-2006 should be carried out seriously. Research and
Evaluation should be the important instruments for policy makers and executives for using informationin decision and planning. The policy should apply to real implementation and must improve the staffing
situation in order to provide efficient services for probationers and other community-based alternative
measures to incarceration.
Future Plans and Innovation of the Probation System in Thailand(i) New missions resulting from the Cabinet Resolution on July 10, 2001
The cabinet resolution concerning probation, agreed that the Department of Probation will be theprincipal probation organisation in regard to suspension of prosecution at the pre-trial stage, injuvenile probation at the court trial stage and in the supervision of prisoners who are released on
conditions at the corrections stage. New missions will run after the results of a public hearing toapprove the use of suspension of prosecution and the completeness of the new structure of the Ministryof Justice on October 2002. Furthermore, according to the draft of the Drug Addicts Rehabilitation Act,
the Department of Probation will provide drug treatment and rehabilitation of offenders by means of acompulsory system after this Act is promulgated.
The main idea of this act is to introduce a compulsory drug treatment system for drug addicts sothey won’t commit further offences and should be considered as “a patient” not as “a criminal,” and thisact aims to divert the caseload in the criminal justice process, especially to reduce the number ofprisoners and to provide for assessment and treatment of the illicit drug user. Therefore, if the results288

121ST INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSEPARTICIPANTS’ PAPERSof treatment are satisfied they will not have criminal records. The target is the person who isapprehended for use or possession of small quantities of illicit drugs. The benefit of the compulsory drug
treatment system is to provide an opportunity to divert offenders out of the criminal justice system into
treatment, reducing the population of prisoners and decreasing social problems.

Procedure of Drug Addicts Rehabilitation Act (Draft)
Committed
Narcotic Offences

Police arrest

Court
discretion
Conduct to DAR Act

Normal Criminal
Criminal
NormalJustice Procedure
Procedure
Justice

Order to Prove
SocialSocialInquiry
Inquiry by
byprobation
probationofficer
officer

Rehabilitation
Sub-Committee
Be drug addict

Not to be
drug addict

Investigation
Officers
Prosecution

Prosecutor

Control- strictly- not strictly

uncontrolled
Return toto SocialSocialReturnFollowupup
Follow

Suspension of prosecution
Rehabilitation Unsatisfied
Rehabilitation
Satisfied /Pass-Criteria

Report

Not Guilty
GuiltyNot& Release
Release&(ii) Introducing Restorative Justice in the Probation Services
Some countries, including Thailand, are seeking a coherent conceptual basis for developing aprobation system. Restorative justice is the approach that is clearly identified. It also seeks to balance
the concerns of the victim and the community with the need to reintegrate the offender into society. It
seeks to assist the recovery of the victim and enable all parties with a stake in the criminal process toparticipate fruitfully in it. The examples of restorative justice include mediation, conferencing andsentencing circles.
Restorative justice has been drawn from ancient concepts and practices in western and Thai
societies. In the old days the victim had to lodge his complaint to the ruler and may institute his own
criminal prosecution. Under the principals, restorative justice should be encouraged at all stages of thecriminal justice process. In the Thai probation system, the Department of Probation has a policy toenhance the role of the probation officer as a mediator by holding moderated meeting with offenders,
crime victims and others affected by crime. The probation officer tells the victim and the offender thatthey have the chance to settle their conflict in a different way. The mediator arranges for them to meetwith the aim of settling the dispute which has arisen between them.
This meeting helps to harmonize relations between the parties and alleviate the consequences of
the crime. It helps to settle the dispute and reach an agreement or compensation for damages which isalso acceptable from society’s point of view. The facts of the case meeting will be passed to theprosecutor or the court. On the basis of these facts the prosecutor or the court may decide to suspend
prosecution or to pass a suspended sentence. However it will take time to try the pilot project, theoperation of restorative justice programmes should be established by legislation with standards andguidelines. There are referral, handling and qualification of personnel, administration and ethical rules
governing the operation of restorative justice.

289

RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 61(iii) Preparing for the Suspension of Prosecution
Suspension of prosecution will be implemented as an alternative to a criminal trial in order toreduce the caseload of the court, if the results of a public hearing by the office of the Attorney General
are approved. Probation will be used as a measure at this stage to investigate and supervise theoffenders whom the prosecutor has discretion to suspend prosecution.
The prosecutor should be informed of information about alternative treatment facilities andprogrammes in the community to be able to make a rational determination. The Department of
Probation can provide social inquiry reports and supervision work for the suspension of prosecution
carried out at the public prosecution stage.
(iv) Using the Community Service Order as an Alternative to Imprisonment, Confinement and Fine
At present the court of justice has offered to reform the law in regard to confinement to community
service in cases where the offender was ordered to pay a fine but does not have enough money to pay.
The court may order such a person to be confined in lieu of a fine and, in the future, such confinement
shall not exceed two years.
The idea of the community service order is based on one of the conditions of probation that theprobation officer may arrange an activity for the offender that is for the public benefit. In order toreform the probationer’s behaviour and to meet acceptance. Since community service has achieved it’sgoal, it is accepted to be one of the alternatives to imprisonment, confinement and fine that can solve
the overcrowding situation in prisons.
III. CONCLUSION
Criminal Justice in Thailand including the Probation System is at this time restructuring andreforming. During the past decade Thailand, like other countries throughout the world, has been
influenced by the impact of globalisation and technological development. Social and economic
considerations are becoming even more complex. Crime and drug problems are critical and related tothe overcrowding situation in prisons and juvenile institutions. The correctional facilities are
overcrowded, the living conditions are poor, occupational vocational and educational opportunities are
insufficient. Consequently, the country's correctional problems and policies, in all their dimensions,should be re-examined. Therefore alternatives to imprisonment have been accepted as a possible
solution to prison overcrowding. An effective alternative that is widely used is suspension of
imprisonment with probation. In the correctional system, they have sentence remission and parole but
they have rigid criteria, and the number of inmates released on parole has been few. In addition, atother stages of the criminal justice process there is less use of community-based alternatives toincarceration.
However the Thai Government realizes the problem and has policies to reform the legal andcriminal justice system to guarantee greater rights and freedom for the people. Furthermore, to reducethe crime rate and the number of inmates in prison, finding new measures of non-custodial treatment
and the development of the present measures is very important.
REFERENCES
Adult Probation in Thailand (1998). Department of Probation, Thailand.
Annual Report 2000. Department of Corrections, Thailand.
Prathan Watanavanich, "Cooperation in Community-Based Correction in 2000",
http//www.acpf.org/wc8th/Agendaitem5.
Prathan Watanavanich, "Restorative Justice in the Thai Social and Culture Settings",
http//www. acpf.org/wc8th/Agendaitem5.
Suchart Jivachart (1993). "The Penal Code of Thailand".

290

121ST INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSEPARTICIPANTS’ PAPERS
Suchart Triprasit. "Prosecution and Effective Crime Control",
http//www.acpf.org/wc7th/Paperitem2.
Sudjit Jaenopakharn. "Judicial proceedings and the child",
http//www.asem.org/Documents/UN-Docs/CRC/Thailand.htm.
Vitaya Suriyawong, "The Ways and Means to Enhance the Rehabilitation Function of Corrections",
http// www.acpf.org/WC8th/Agendaitem5.

291

RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 61
APPENDIX A
Flow Chart of Criminal Proceedings for Adults Showing the Position of Probation Services
within the Criminal Justice System.
Do not comply withthe conditions

PrisonBegin
Other punishments- capital punishment- confinement- fine- forfeiture of property

Committed
Crime

PolicearrestSuspension of punishment
and placed under probation*

Referral to
public prosecutor

Probation
supervision process

Prosecution

Court
trial

Legal
Aid

Court Judgement

Court order for Pre-sentence
Investigation Report byprobation officer

Complywith theconditions

Termination ofprobation

PoliceThe Royal Thai Police (Independent Public Agency)

Public-Prosecutor

Office of the Attorney-General (Independent Public Agency)

Court

The Criminal Court

The Court of Justice (Independent Public
Agency)PrisonDepartment of Corrections

Ministry of Interior (Ministry of Justiceon October, 2002)*Probation

Department of Probation

Ministry of Justice292

Personnel
Division

Provincial Probation Offices andProbation Offices attached to
CourtsPlanning
Division

Promotion ofCommunity
Affairs OfficeDrug Addicts
Rehabilitation Center

Probation
Development
OfficeAuditing Unit

Clean and Clear
Coordinating
Affairs Center

Treasury
Division

Expert Probation
Officer

Office of theProbation Inspector

Legal
Division

Bangkok Rehabilitation
Center and Regional Center
1-12

Technology
Center(This chart is not final, the structures of the Department of Probation and other departments are still being considered by the Ministry of Justice Committee)

Probation Office Region
1-12

Office of theSecretary

Advisor on
Performance

Deputy Director
General

Director General

Department of Probation

APPENDIX B
The Future Framework of the Department of Probation

121ST INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSEPARTICIPANTS’ PAPERS

293