Thai Justice Minister Somsak Thepsutin said recently that the country needs to adopt its own version of America’s Megan’s Law, a federal law in the US that requires law enforcement agencies to make information available to the public about sex offenders, after a notorious serial killer allegedly murdered a 51-year-old woman after being released from prison.
Known as Thailand’s “Jack the Ripper”, Somkid Pumpuang had been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of killing five women in 2005.
Somkid was released from prison after 14 years for good behavior, which secured him reduced sentences and eventually royal clemency.
Bangkok-based criminal defense lawyer Jiraporn Thongphong states that although royal pardons for good behavior and time served are signed by the King, the process is primarily a formality. Royal pardons are typically recommended by prison officials whose recommendation is normally followed.
After hearing of the crime, Justice Minister Somsak is planning to form a special parole committee to prevent extremely violent criminals from securing release then committing further crimes in the future.
One possible solution in the short-term, Somsak argues, is for Thailand to adopt its own version of Megan’s Law.
This typically means creating sex offender registry lists and maps so families can see if any sex criminals live in their vicinity.
Somsak said there are about 100 prisoners in Thailand that require “special attention” and shouldn’t ever be eligible for unsupervised release due to the horrific nature of their crimes.
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