82% of Thai convicts are in for drugs - now they can get their sentences reduced - "War on Drugs" failure highlighted

[webfact]

Picture: Daily News

 

The Thai corrections department faces huge problems in the coming months as the vast majority of the prison population can apply to have their sentences changed.

 

New laws were announced in the Government Gazette on Thursday.

 

Prison chief Ayut Sinthaphaphan admitted that of the 289,332 inmates inThailand a staggering 237,763 or 82.18% were in for drugs, reported Daily News. 

 

196,611 have had their cases finalised.

 

These can now apply to courts for sentence reductions based on the new rules. 

 

Krathom prisoners have already been let out after that leaf - used to make a mild tea - was decriminalized.

 

Now hundreds of thousands more will hope for earlier release in moves that are bound to clog up the court system.

 

Many critics see Thailand's attitude towards small time drug addicts and dealers as putting strain on the prison system where there have been huge Covid outbreaks.

 

They highlight the utter failure that is the "War on Drugs" mounted in Thailand and elsewhere in the world. 

 

And they point to the fact that kingpins producing dangerous drugs like crystal meth escape while mules pay with their lives.

 

And people still face possible prison terms for marijuana use and the state sponsored tobacco business kills millions. 

 

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[ThailandRyan]

Wont stop them from selling or using the drugs now will it.  They need to have programs where they can be treated for the addictions and dependence and informed about the detriment it has on them, family and society.  Yet many do not care and will revert back.  Locking them up is not the answer either if all they are is using for personal use and not selling.  If arrested they should be put on supervised release where they are tested frequently.

[Tropicalevo]

27 minutes ago, webfact said:

82.18% were in for drugs, reported Daily News. 

I suspect that this number is misleading.

Are all of these addicts in gaol solely for taking, dealing, transporting drugs, or were there other crimes being carried out (theft, rape, assault, fleeing from a crime, dangerous driving etc) as a result of the drugs.

 

Fact of life - people involved in drugs commit other crimes.

[Smithson]

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

Wont stop them from selling or using the drugs now will it.  They need to have programs where they can be treated for the addictions and dependence and informed about the detriment it has on them, family and society.  Yet many do not care and will revert back.  Locking them up is not the answer either if all they are is using for personal use and not selling.  If arrested they should be put on supervised release where they are tested frequently.

People have been selling and using drugs for a while now, the harm to all is much worse when they're illegal.

[Smithson]

1 hour ago, Tropicalevo said:

I suspect that this number is misleading.

Are all of these addicts in gaol solely for taking, dealing, transporting drugs, or were there other crimes being carried out (theft, rape, assault, fleeing from a crime, dangerous driving etc) as a result of the drugs.

 

Fact of life - people involved in drugs commit other crimes.

I think the statistic is correct, drug charges, not drug related.

[Longwood50]

You want to control illegal drugs, you make the punishment severe enough to deter people from using the drugs and selling the drugs. 

To do otherwise is to trivialize the seriousness of the offense. 

 

[Smithson]

4 minutes ago, Longwood50 said:

You want to control illegal drugs, you make the punishment severe enough to deter people from using the drugs and selling the drugs. 

To do otherwise is to trivialize the seriousness of the offense. 

 

This is simply wrong, a war on drugs here killed around 3,000 in as many months. Still plenty of drugs around.

[mahtin]

These are just the ones whose family couldn't come up with the few thousand Baht necessary to make the charges go away.

Pay up or lockup.

[Longwood50]

54 minutes ago, Smithson said:

This is simply wrong, a war on drugs here killed around 3,000 in as many months. Still plenty of drugs around

You "kill" the drug dealers and severely punish those who are caught with illegal drugs.  The fact that 3,000 people died from overdose is not any sort of deterrent. 

[Bert got kinky]

7 minutes ago, Longwood50 said:

You "kill" the drug dealers and severely punish those who are caught with illegal drugs.  The fact that 3,000 people died from overdose is not any sort of deterrent. 

Who mentioned 3,000 overdoses.

I may well be wrong but I believe that 'Smithson'  was referring to extra-judicial killings, which were a large part of Thaksin's getting rid of political opposition war on drugs.

 

[dinsdale]

If you want a war on drugs then it's the one's at the top that need to be taken down. This won't happen. The other way to take them down is to legalise everything. Of course programs must be put in place to help the addicted but jails will empty, crime will reduce and society will benifit. People can get off the hard stuff and go back to smoking pot. Lot's of happy people except for the king pins,  judges, police etc.

[Dionigi]

1 hour ago, Longwood50 said:

You want to control illegal drugs, you make the punishment severe enough to deter people from using the drugs and selling the drugs. 

To do otherwise is to trivialize the seriousness of the offense. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 2020, the convicted prison population for drug offences in Singapore stood at over 4.6 thousand, the lowest it has been in the period measured. This was in part due to the focus on rehabilitation instead of punishment, especially for drug offenses.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1132849/singapore-convicted-penal-population-for-drug-offences/

 

draconian measures also do not work

[rosetintedspecs]

I am afraid the only solution is to legalise ALL drugs, use and sale. If we regulate the market we will end up with all marijuana sales in the lovely hands of the CP Group and Central, or possibly Beer Singh and Chang!! Why do we have no CRAFT beer in thailand? Because Beer Chang and Singh don't want them around, even though in reality they are not competition for CRAFT beer at all.

 

But back to the drugs, 230,000 people in jail for drugs, while they are there, the families are screwed up, no beadwinner. And for what? To fatten the pockets of prosecutors department and the police. If you pay? No jail. So the weakest members of society and up in the clink. The system is so silly as to be unreal. Let's just recognise that there is a market for drugs and stop criminalising it. Alcohol and tobacco are drugs but are tolerated even though alcohol in particular causes far more behavioural issues than marijuana does. 

[IvorBiggun2]

They don't learn. BiL done 4 years, this time, for dealing. Good behavior got him out early but he had to wear the electronic tag. Every week he had report back to the jail and was drugs tested Failed his blood test and immediately put back inside. Now out you can be sure he's back on meths and gambling. Never had a job in his life and I doubt he ever will. First time in jail was for attempted murder. 

[Smithson]

Just now, IvorBiggun2 said:

They don't learn. BiL done 4 years, this time, for dealing. Good behavior got him out early but he had to wear the electronic tag. Every week he had report back to the jail and was drugs tested Failed his blood test and immediately put back inside. Now out you can be sure he's back on meths and gambling. Never had a job in his life and I doubt he ever will. First time in jail was for attempted murder. 

Sounds like his got a few more problems than drug use.

[IvorBiggun2]

7 minutes ago, rosetintedspecs said:

But back to the drugs, 230,000 people in jail for drugs, while they are there, the families are screwed up, no beadwinner.

I don't see that. In the Thai family if someone can't provide then the rest of the family take over. They get by.

[Smithson]

36 minutes ago, Bert got kinky said:

Who mentioned 3,000 overdoses.

I may well be wrong but I believe that 'Smithson'  was referring to extra-judicial killings, which were a large part of Thaksin's getting rid of political opposition war on drugs.

 

You're correct, the ignorance of some is staggering.

[IvorBiggun2]

2 minutes ago, Smithson said:

Sounds like his got a few more problems than drug use.

Even his wife's in jail for drug pushing. Their daughter is looked after by the grandparent mostly.

[Longwood50]

54 minutes ago, Smithson said:

This is simply wrong, a war on drugs here killed around 3,000 in as many months. Still plenty of drugs around

You "kill" the drug dealers and severely punish those who are caught with illegal drugs.  The fact that 3,000 people died from overdose is not any sort of deterrent. 

[Smithson]

1 minute ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

Even his wife's in jail for drug pushing. Their daughter is looked after by the grandparent mostly.

So it's a normal rural Thai family?

[Longwood50]

24 minutes ago, Dionigi said:

This was in part due to the focus on rehabilitation instead of punishment, especially for drug offenses.

I believe they consider "caning" to be rehabilitation. 

Also people are sentenced to prison and potentially rehabilitated only if the amount caught with is less than the amount considered for the person to be considered a trafficker. 

 

Also they definitely cut the recidivism rate for traffickers.  The penalty of death is MANDATORY
. 
 

[Longwood50]

47 minutes ago, Bert got kinky said:

Who mentioned 3,000 overdoses.

Are you saying these were executions?  If so, you are sadly mistaken.  In 7 decades there is a total of only 320 executions for ALL OFFENSES

 

[kiteman9]

I can't wait until everyone will be able to just get abong.

[Longwood50]

3 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Locking them up is not the answer either if all they are is using for personal use and not selling.  If arrested they should be put on supervised release where they are tested frequently.

Locking up the offender is not going to accomplish much if anything.  However executing those trafficking in drugs will reduce the supply and hence the number of people who become addicted and/or exposed to drug usage. 

[Smithson]

1 minute ago, Longwood50 said:

I believe they consider "caning" to be rehabilitation. 

Also people are sentenced to prison and potentially rehabilitated only if the amount caught with is less than the amount considered for the person to be considered a trafficker. 

 

Also they definitely cut the recidivism rate for traffickers.  The penalty of death is MANDATORY
. 
 

Singapore is an island state know for it's lack of human rights. Death for just over a pound of ganja, <deleted>. Why do other countries not sanction it for such gross human rights abuses? 

 

For a successful drug policy, try Portugal.

[Smithson]

3 minutes ago, Longwood50 said:

Are you saying these were executions?  If so, you are sadly mistaken.  In 7 decades there is a total of only 320 executions for ALL OFFENSES

 

Google is your friend mate. Educate yourself a little.

[Longwood50]

1 minute ago, Smithson said:

Singapore is an island state know for it's lack of human rights

The fact that Singapore is an island is irrelevant. 

Now perhaps you are worried about the rights of drug traffickers. The drug trafficker is certainly not concerned with the "human rights" of others. 

You see I am more concerned over the rights and lives of those the traffickers take away and the victims of the crimes caused in those who steal to support their drug habits. 

 

[thaichina]

3 minutes ago, Longwood50 said:

Yes you should try it.  Show me where 3,000 people were killed in Thailand in the war on drugs. I won't hold my breath waiting. 

https://www.hrw.org/news/2008/03/12/thailands-war-drugs

 

It takes 1 mn on google, no time to suffer if you hold your breath, don t worry and educate yourself, you don t know what you are talking about.

[Smithson]

3 minutes ago, Longwood50 said:

Yes you should try it.  Show me where 3,000 people were killed in Thailand in the war on drugs. I won't hold my breath waiting. 

I gave it a try, works wonders:

"A government anti-drug campaign resulting in as many as 3,000 killings has driven drug users underground and away from lifesaving HIV prevention services.

The 60-page report, "Not Enough Graves: Thailand’s War on Drugs, HIV/AIDS, and Violations of Human Rights," provides fresh evidence of extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and other human rights violations by Thai authorities. The report contains first-hand testimony from relatives of people killed during the drug war, as well as drug users who endured beatings, forced confessions and arbitrary arrests at the hands of Royal Thai Police."

https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/newsroom/thailand-report-documents-abuses-drug-war

[Bert got kinky]

9 minutes ago, Longwood50 said:

Are you saying these were executions?  If so, you are sadly mistaken.  In 7 decades there is a total of only 320 executions for ALL OFFENSES

 

Wrong, you are talking about legal executions, I am talking about extrajudicial killings.

I would explain differences to you but i have neither the time nor the crayons.