Criminal Mediation in the Police Investigation Phase: Implementation Challenges and Solutions for Restorative Justice in Thailand’s Metropolitan Police

บทคัดย่อ

This study aim to 1) examines the current operational challenges and obstacles facing criminal dispute mediation during police investigations, 2) develops practical approaches for enhancing these mediation processes to improve their effectiveness and implementation at the investigation stage.This study employed qualitative research through in-depth interviews with 58samples, including 37 practitioners, 18 service recipients, 3 policy officers and supplemented by focus group discussions with 9 experts.

The findings revealed four categories of problems and limitations:  1) structural barriers, including inadequate legal frameworks and organizational constraints; 2) operational challenges in implementation procedures; 3) personnel issues encompassing training and capacity gaps; and 4) resource management obstacles, including budget and facility limitations. These barriers resulted in informal mediation processes that often replaced the formal legal procedures mandated by the Act. To systematically address operational problems and barriers, researchers proposed the B.R.I.D.G.E. model (Bureau Structure Reform, Regulatory Framework Enhancement, Integration and Coordination, Digital Transformation, Governance and Quality Assurance, Empowerment of Human Resources) synthesized from empirical findings, emphasizing digital transformation as crucial for bridging policy-to-practice gaps.

The research serves as a policy framework for developing restorative justice processes, recommending drafting new regulations encompassing online mediation and electronic systems, establishing mediator databases, case tracking systems, online mediation platforms, fostering inter-agency collaboration through memoranda of understanding, establishing mediator standards, curriculum development with educational institutions, and clear career advancement pathways to enhance dispute mediation effectiveness within the Metropolitan Police Bureau area.