Article 23: Confinement in lieu of imprisonment
Statutory text (Thai original)
ผู้ใดกระทำความผิดซึ่งมีโทษจำคุก และในคดีนั้นศาลจะลงโทษจำคุกไม่เกินสามเดือน ถ้าไม่ปรากฏว่าผู้นั้นได้รับโทษจำคุกมาก่อน หรือปรากฏว่าได้รับโทษจำคุกมาก่อน แต่เป็นโทษสำหรับความผิดที่ได้กระทำโดยประมาท หรือความผิดลหุโทษ ศาลจะพิพากษาให้ลงโทษกักขังไม่เกินสามเดือนแทนโทษจำคุกนั้นก็ได้
English translation
Whoever commits an offense punishable by imprisonment, and in that case the court would impose imprisonment not exceeding three months, if it does not appear that such person has previously been sentenced to imprisonment, or it appears that such person has previously been sentenced to imprisonment but only for an offense committed through negligence or a petty offense, the court may impose confinement not exceeding three months in lieu of that imprisonment.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified. Always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 23 gives courts a milder alternative to short prison terms for first offenders and minor offenders. Three conditions define its reach: the offense must be one punishable by imprisonment, the term the court would actually impose must not exceed three months, and the offender must have no prior prison sentence except one for a negligence offense or a petty offense. Where these are met, the court may order confinement, a less severe punishment served outside prison, for up to three months in place of imprisonment. In practice the courts frequently apply it in minor traffic and assault matters, substituting confinement for the short imprisonment term they would otherwise impose.
Why this matters in practice
For a defendant facing a short prison term for a minor offense, this section is a realistic path to avoid actual imprisonment: confinement is served outside a prison and is far less disruptive. Eligibility hinges on your record, only prior prison sentences for negligence or petty offenses are ignored, so a clean or lightly blemished record helps. Raising a request for confinement, with mitigating personal circumstances, is worthwhile at sentencing. See our overview of criminal law in Thailand for context on sentencing options.
Décisions de la Cour suprême interprétant cette section
-
Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 178/2567 (2024)
Where the court imposes imprisonment of three months for a minor traffic offense, it may substitute confinement for the full three-month term under Section 23, illustrating the section's ceiling.
After convicting the defendant of a traffic offense and reducing the term to three months' imprisonment for a guilty plea, the court substituted confinement for the same three-month period under Section 23 and suspended the driving licence for six months. The case shows the section applied at its three-month ceiling.
-
Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 4292/2567 (2024)
Where the court of first instance substitutes confinement for imprisonment under section 23 and the appellate court affirms, a further appeal on the facts is barred and no judge of the court of first instance may give leave for one. Even so, if the record discloses a ground in law that makes the act no offence, the Supreme Court may take up all the evidence in the file and dismiss the charge.
The court of first instance convicted the defendant of assault under section 295, imposed one month's imprisonment and substituted one month's confinement under section 23, and the Court of Appeal Region 1 affirmed. The Supreme Court held the further appeal was on the facts and barred, and that the leave given below was of no effect. It nonetheless read the record, found that the injured person and another had together attacked the defendant's wife, and held that the defendant's single punch was defence of another, proportionate to the danger, and so no offence under section 68. It reversed and dismissed the charge, so neither the conviction nor the confinement order stands.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Cited in 151 Supreme Court decisions (1972 to 2024)
Décisions de citation sélectionnées
- Décision 4292/2567 (2024)
- Decision 178/2567 (2024)
- Decision 4884/2566 (2023)
- Decision 3307/2566 (2023)
- Décision 3561/2563 (2020)
- Decision 6724/2562 (2019)
- Décision 9999/2559 (2016)
- Decision 2821/2559 (2016)
Cette liste est sélectionnée automatiquement, en privilégiant les jugements qui reposent sur cet article plutôt que sur ceux qui se contentent de le citer lors du prononcé de la peine. Elle n'a pas encore été examinée par le cabinet.
Le plus souvent cité aux côtés de
- Article 78 114
- Article 91 58
- Article 29 54
- Article 30 53
- Article 83 47
- Article 90 46
Sections qui apparaissent le plus souvent dans les mêmes jugements que celui-ci. Le chiffre correspond au nombre de décisions.
Calculé sur l'ensemble du corpus de 83 652 décisions de la Cour suprême du cabinet, de 1921 à 2026. Le décompte est exhaustif ; la plage d'années indiquée élimine les valeurs aberrantes rares afin de refléter la répartition réelle des citations. Ces chiffres sont calculés par nos soins et ne constituent pas des statistiques officielles de la Cour. Comment nous les comptons et ce que nous avons mesuré
Foire aux questions
Quand le confinement peut-il remplacer l'emprisonnement ?
En vertu de l'article 23, lorsque le tribunal imposerait une peine d'emprisonnement de trois mois maximum et que le contrevenant n'a pas de peine d'emprisonnement antérieure disqualifiante, le tribunal peut imposer une détention allant jusqu'à trois mois.
Une condamnation antérieure pour négligence me disqualifie-t-elle ?
Non. Une peine d'emprisonnement antérieure pour une infraction commise par négligence ou pour une infraction mineure n'empêche pas le tribunal d'imposer une détention au lieu d'une peine d'emprisonnement en vertu de l'article 23.
Guides connexes sur ThaiLawOnline
Citer cette section
-
Citation simple
Penal Code, s. 23 (Thailand) -
Citation académique
Penal Code (Thailand), s. 23. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-23/ (accessed 30 août 2026). -
Citation thaïlandaise
ป.อ. มาตรา 23 -
Lien permanent
https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-23/ -
Intégrer sur votre site
<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-23/"><p>Whoever commits an offense punishable by imprisonment, and in that case the court would impose imprisonment not exceeding three months, if it does not appear that such person has previously been sentenced to imprisonment, or it appears that such person has previously been sentenced to…</p><footer>Penal Code, s. 23 (Thailand): <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-23/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.