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Abstract: 

Like the U.S., Thailand’s cash bail system exacts a heavy toll on the poor, while wealthy offenders buy their way out of custody. The Thai judiciary recently concluded an experiment in which they sought to address this inherent inequity by offering individuals charged of certain crimes with the option of GPS monitoring instead of cash bail. Drawing from the firsthand experience of the author as the executive of the office that planned and operated the project, this article describes how the EM bail project in Thailand was planned and implemented, and addresses issues with educating judges, with equipment performance, and with measuring outcomes. Its conclusion: when judges are on board and equipment is properly understood, installed, and maintained, EM can indeed contribute to a significantly fairer and more effective system for ensuring that offenders appear for scheduled court appearances.

Keywords: EM Bail; Thailand Criminal Justice System

Affiliations:  1: Thailand Office of the Judiciary.