Capital Punishment Policy in a Changing Context: A Comparative Analysis of Norway and Thailand
Keywords:
Capital punishment policy, Death penalty, ExecutionAbstract
This article has three primary objectives: (1) to examine the situation and policy context of capital punishment in Thailand; (2) to conduct a comparative analysis of penal policies for serious criminal offenses between Thailand and Norway, with particular reference to the case of Anders Behring Breivik, who was responsible for the mass killing of 77 people but was sentenced to a maximum of 21 years in prison; and (3) to propose policy recommendations for Thailand regarding the use of the death penalty. The article raises critical questions concerning human rights principles, justice systems, and the fundamental purposes of punishment, particularly within contrasting cultural and political contexts. The findings reveal that differing conceptions of "justice" and "punishment" lead to diverging penal policy approaches. The reform of capital punishment policy in Thailand should begin with a shift in both state and societal perspectives toward crime and punishment, emphasizing restorative rather than retributive approaches. It is recommended that the state adopt international human rights standards and universal principles of justice, promote socioeconomic equity, and develop alternative penal policies in place of capital punishment to ensure sustainable crime prevention.
References
Garland, D. (2001). The culture of control: Crime and social order in contemporary society. Oxford University Press.
Hood, R., & Hoyle, C. (2015). The death penalty: A worldwide perspective (5th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Council of Europe. (2002). Protocol No. 13 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, concerning the abolition of the death penalty in all circumstances. https://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list/-/conventions/treaty/187
Norwegian Constitution. (2014). § 93: Right to life and prohibition against capital punishment. https://lovdata.no/
Pratt, J. (2008). Scandinavian exceptionalism in an era of penal excess: Part I: The nature and roots of Scandinavian exceptionalism. British Journal of Criminology, 48(2), 119-137. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azm072
Lappi-Seppälä, T. (2012). Imprisonment and penal policy in Scandinavia. In M. Tonry (Ed.), Crime and justice in Scandinavia (pp. 279-348). University of Chicago Press.
Satha-Anand, C. (2015). The nonviolent reconsidered: Re-thinking nonviolence and violence in conflict transformation. Peace Information Center, Thammasat University.
Amnesty International. (2022). Death sentences and executions 2021. https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/act50/5418/2022/en/
ศิริกัลยา ธงชัย. (2553). การใช้โทษอื่นแทนโทษประหารชีวิต (สารนินพธ์ปริญญาโท). มหาวิทยาลัยธรรมศาสตร์.
Amnesty International. (2025a). Death sentences and executions 2024: Global report. Amnesty International Publications.
Amnesty International. (2024). Death penalty 2024: Facts and figures. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2024/05/death-penalty-2024-facts-and-figures/
กนกวรรณ ขวัญดี. (2550). การยกเลิกโทษประหารชีวิตในสังคมไทย (วิทยานิพนธ์ปริญญาโท). มหาวิทยาลัยธรรมศาสตร์.
นฤมล ถินทอง. (2561). มาตรการทางเลือกทดแทนโทษประหารชีวิต (วิทยานิพนธ์ปริญญาโท). จุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย.
สุมนทิพย์ จิตสว่าง. (2561). โทษประหารชีวิต. กรุงเทพฯ: โรงพิมพ์แห่งจุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย.
วิกิพีเดีย. (2568). โทษประหารชีวิตในประเทศไทย. https://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/โทษประหารชีวิตในประเทศไทย
Amnesty International. (2025b). Why we’re working to end the death penalty. https://www.amnesty.org.uk/end-death-penalty
OHCHR Regional Office. (2013). International experts welcome efforts toward the abolition of the death penalty in South-East Asia, Bangkok [Press release]. International Commission Against the Death Penalty. https://icomdp.org/
United Nations. (1948). Universal Declaration of Human Rights. https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights
United Nations. (1989). Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty. Treaty Series, 999, 171. https://treaties.un.org/
Amnesty International. (2023). Thailand: Time to abolish the death penalty. https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/act50/7611/2017/en/
Amnesty International. (1998). Human rights vs. the death penalty. https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/act50/13/98/en/
Amnesty International. (2012). Death sentences and executions 2011. https://www.amnestyusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/act500012011en_11.pdf
สุมนทิพย์ จิตสว่าง. (2557). โทษประหารชีวิต. สำนักงานคณะกรรมการสิทธิมนุษยชนแห่งชาติ.
Smith, A., & Johnson, B. (2023). Restorative justice in Nordic countries. International Journal of Law and Society, 12(4), 40-58. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10611-023-10045-6
Norwegian Ministry of Justice. (2022). Criminal justice policy in Norway: 2021-2022 report. Ministry of Justice and Public Security.
BBC News. (2011, July 23). Norway attacks: Breivik appears in court. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-14261181
Stoltenberg, J. (2011, July 24). Norway attacks: PM Jens Stoltenberg's speech in full. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-14273074
Radelet, M. L., & Lacock, T. L. (2009). Do executions lower homicide rates? The views of leading criminologists. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 99(2), 489-508. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1460068
Kovandzic, T. V., Vieraitis, L. M., & Paquette-Boots, D. (2009). Does the death penalty save lives? New evidence from state panel data, 1977 to 2006. Criminology & Public Policy, 8(4), 803-843. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9133.2009.00591.x
National Research Council. (2012). Deterrence and the death penalty. The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/13363
World Coalition Against the Death Penalty. (2021, February 23). The flaws of deterrence theory for capital punishment. https://worldcoalition.org/2021/02/23/the-flaws-of-deterrence-theory-for-capital-punishment/
Dölling, D., Entorf, H., Hermann, D., & Rupp, T. (2009). Is deterrence effective? Results of a meta-analysis of punishment. European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research, 15(1-2), 201-224. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10610-008-9080-4
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (2023). Global study on homicide 2023. UNODC.
Nagin, D. S., & Pepper, J. V. (Eds.). (2012). Deterrence and the death penalty. National Academies Press.
European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control. (2023). Recidivism and penal policy in Europe. HEUNI.
กองบรรณาธิการ TCIJ. (2568). โทษประหารชีวิตในปี 2567. https://www.tcijthai.com/news/2025/4/scoop/14274
Akkoyun, A. G. (2024). Perspective Chapter: The Norwegian Model of Correlation Rehabilitation – Bridging the Gap between Incarceration and Society. In Correctional Facilities – Policies, Practices, and Challenges. Intech Open. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.1004527
Kosuta, M. (2017). The Aṅgulimāla-Sutta: The power of the fourth kamma. Journal of International Buddhist Studies, 8(2), 15-33. https://so09.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/jibs/article/view/2465
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 PAAT Journal
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
