Thailand proposes tougher parole rules for serious offenders
A draft proposal would require prisoners serving death or life sentences to complete longer minimum terms before qualifying for sentence reductions or parole.
Thailand is considering tougher parole and sentence-reduction rules that would require prisoners serving death sentences to spend at least 25 years in prison and those serving life sentences at least 20 years before they can be considered for a classification upgrade.
Daily News Online reported on Sunday, citing a senior Justice Ministry source, that the proposed minimum terms are intended to safeguard public safety and ensure people convicted of the most serious crimes serve substantial periods in prison before becoming eligible for reductions or parole.
The proposal follows public scrutiny over the release of former drug kingpin Laota Saenlee, whose life sentence was reduced through a series of royal pardons before he was freed after serving slightly more than nine years, according to a Bangkok Post report cited by The Phuket News.
The draft is being reviewed by a government working group examining criminal-sentence enforcement and measures to prevent repeat offending. It would also cover corruption, political and national-security cases in which courts impose death or life sentences. Prisoners in those categories would be placed in the highest-risk group and would not be considered for advancement, sentence reductions or parole until they had completed the proposed minimum term.
Less serious offenders would remain subject to existing rules. The draft also proposes minimum terms for serious multi-count offences under Section 91 of the Criminal Code: five years for combined sentences of up to 10 years, 10 years for combined sentences of up to 20 years, and 20 years for combined sentences of up to 50 years.
At its first meeting on 21 August, the working group reviewed prison policies in several countries. Data presented to the panel showed that serious offenders in Thailand may become eligible for certain benefits after serving an average of 8-15 years, compared with about 20-25 years in the United States, 15-30 years in the United Kingdom and 15 years in Germany.
The working group was due to meet again on 24 August before submitting the draft to the Corrections Committee for approval.
