Article 65: Insanity and mental incapacity
Statutory text (Thai original)
ผู้ใดกระทำความผิด ในขณะไม่สามารถรู้ผิดชอบ หรือไม่สามารถบังคับตนเองได้เพราะมีจิตบกพร่อง โรคจิตหรือจิตฟั่นเฟือน ผู้นั้นไม่ต้องรับโทษสำหรับความผิดนั้น แต่ถ้าผู้กระทำความผิดยังสามารถรู้ผิดชอบอยู่บ้าง หรือยังสามารถบังคับตนเองได้บ้าง ผู้นั้นต้องรับโทษสำหรับความผิดนั้น แต่ศาลจะลงโทษน้อยกว่าที่กฎหมายกำหนดไว้สำหรับความผิดนั้นเพียงใดก็ได้
English translation
Whoever commits an offence at a time when he is unable to appreciate right and wrong, or unable to control himself, because of a defective mind, mental disease, or mental infirmity, shall not be punished for that offence.
But if the doer still retains some ability to appreciate right and wrong, or still retains some ability to control himself, he shall be punished for that offence, but the Court may inflict a punishment less than that provided by law for such offence to any extent.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified. Always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 65 is the insanity provision in Book 1 on Criminal Liability. Paragraph one grants a full excuse where a defective mind, mental disease, or mental infirmity left the doer, at the time of the act, unable to appreciate right and wrong or to control himself; the result is no punishment, not acquittal of the act. Paragraph two addresses partial incapacity: where some capacity remained, the doer is punished but the court may go below the statutory minimum to any extent. The section turns on the doer's mental state at the moment of the offence, proven by evidence, typically medical, and it is distinct from Section 66, which deals separately with intoxication. Diminished-capacity findings under paragraph two are a common sentencing lever in serious cases.
Why this matters in practice
Section 65 is the route to either a full excuse from punishment or a reduced sentence for a mentally ill defendant, but everything depends on the mental state at the moment of the offence, not before or after. The burden of raising and supporting the defence falls on the accused, and courts require clear medical evidence that the doer could not appreciate right and wrong or control himself; the ability to communicate normally and a history of illness alone are often insufficient. In practice, partial incapacity under paragraph two is the more realistic outcome, yielding a below-minimum sentence. Securing a proper psychiatric assessment early, with legal guidance, is critical.
Décisions de la Cour suprême interprétant cette section
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Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 8699/2563 (2020)
To rely on partial mental incapacity under Section 65 paragraph two, there must be clear evidence that at the time of the offence the defendant could not, wholly or partly, appreciate right and wrong or control himself.
The defendant claimed mental impairment from cerebral and cardiac vascular disease under Section 65 paragraph two. The Court found the treating physician did not confirm any inability to appreciate right and wrong or to control himself, and that the defendant could communicate like a normal person, so the claim failed.
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Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 7791/2555 (2012)
Where a defendant had a defective mind at the time of the offence but still retained some ability to appreciate right and wrong and control himself, the court may impose a punishment below the statutory level under Section 65 paragraph two.
In a case of sexual offences against a child, the Court found that at the time of the offences the defendant had a defective mind but still retained some ability to appreciate right and wrong and control himself, and accordingly reduced the punishment below the statutory level under Section 65 paragraph two.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Cited in 75 Supreme Court decisions (1963 to 2022)
Décisions de citation sélectionnées
- Decision 8699/2563 (2020)
- Decision 6642/2558 (2015)
- Decision 7791/2555 (2012)
- Decision 3157/2555 (2012)
- Decision 12435/2553 (2010)
- Decision 9264/2551 (2008)
- Decision 809/2548 (2005)
- Decision 1226/2547 (2004)
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 49
- Article 91 41
- Article 90 28
- Article 288 26
- Article 83 25
- Article 80 24
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
La maladie mentale signifie-t-elle toujours l'absence de punition ?
Non. Aux termes de l'article 65, l'absence de peine n'est tolérée que si la maladie a rendu la personne incapable de distinguer le bien du mal ou de se contrôler au moment des faits. Si elle conservait une certaine capacité, elle est punie, même si le tribunal peut réduire la peine en deçà du seuil légal.
Que faut-il prouver pour se prévaloir de l'article 65 ?
La défense doit démontrer, généralement au moyen de preuves médicales, l'état mental de la personne au moment de l'infraction, qu'un esprit déficient, une maladie mentale ou une infirmité mentale l'empêchait, totalement ou partiellement, de distinguer le bien du mal ou de se contrôler.
Guides connexes sur ThaiLawOnline
Citer cette section
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Citation simple
Penal Code, s. 65 (Thailand) -
Citation académique
Penal Code (Thailand), s. 65. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-65/ (accessed 30 août 2026). -
Citation thaïlandaise
ป.อ. มาตรา 65 -
Lien permanent
https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-65/ -
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<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-65/"><p>Whoever commits an offence at a time when he is unable to appreciate right and wrong, or unable to control himself, because of a defective mind, mental disease, or mental infirmity, shall not be punished for that offence. But if the doer still retains some…</p><footer>Penal Code, s. 65 (Thailand): <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-65/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.