This study provides a comprehensive examination of the significant impacts of Thailand's criminal justice policies on incarcerated women and their families. With one of the highest female incarceration rates globally, many women are imprisoned for minor drug offences under stringent narcotics legislation. The research highlights a recent shift in government policy towards rehabilitation following substantial reforms in 2021, which have resulted in a marked decrease in recorded narcotics offences.
Utilizing data from a comprehensive OECD study, supplemented by new gender-specific insights, this analysis will detail the social and economic costs associated with female incarceration. Findings indicate that the justice process imposes considerable financial burdens—over 20% of total crime-related costs—while adversely affecting the health, productivity, and quality of life of women and their families.
Additionally, the study will address the often-overlooked issue of interpersonal violence against women and children, demonstrating that these costs are comparable to those arising from punitive drug policies. This comparative analysis underscores existing biases within Thailand's criminal justice system and emphasizes the urgent need for reform.
The discussion aims to engage participants in a critical dialogue regarding the consequences of current policies and potential pathways for change that could alleviate the burdens faced by women within the correctional system. This study, for the first time, provides powerful evidence that the impact of crime is far-reaching. It builds a positive argument that high-quality, evidence-based narratives can make a strong case for policy reform and recalibration.
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Dr Phiset Sa-ardyen PhD
Executive Director, Thailand Institute of Justice, Thailand
Dr. Phiset Sa-ardyen is the Executive Director of Thailand Institute of Justice (TIJ). Under his leadership, TIJ is dedicated to enhance the rule of law and the Thai justice system through innovative, evidence-based, people-centered approach, as well as implement the UN Rules on the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules) in Thailand and Southeast Asia, in affiliation with UN-PNI. Previously, Dr. Phiset served as the Director of External Relations and Policy Coordination at TIJ, responsible for coordinating all key activities to strengthen TIJ’s portfolio as an international research institute in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice. Prior to joining TIJ, he served in key positions at the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) including as the Director of Information and Communication Technology Center where he oversaw the implementation of key policy directives on digital transformation and cyber security across the MOJ, including its flagship project on big data analytics for recidivism prediction and offender rehabilitation.
Dr. Phiset’s educational background is in Bioengineering and Chemistry. He received a B.E. from Tokyo Institute of Technology and pursued his M.S. and Ph.D in Chemistry at New York University. Furthermore, he holds an M.A. in Translation and Interpretation from Chulalongkorn University and an LL.B. from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, Thailand.
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Dr Reza Lahidji PhD
Founding partner, Future Horizons, Norway
Bio: Dr. Reza Lahidji is an economist specialised in policy analysis and evaluation, a founding partner of Future Horizons, a research-oriented consultancy based in Oslo (Norway), and an associated researcher with the Climate Economics Chair of Université Paris Dauphine (France). Dr. Lahidji’s key areas of expertise are the application of economic evaluation methods to government policies, with a particular focus on access to justice, fundamental rights, and the rule of law, and to public investments, particularly when major uncertainties are involved. Throughout his career, Dr. Lahidji has been consulted by numerous government agencies in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America and by international organisations such as the OECD, the IMF and UN agencies. He is the author of multiple articles and reports, including the OECD White Paper on “Building a Business Case for Access to Justice”.
