Measuring Human Rights in Practice: The Implementation of the Bangkok Rules in the ASEAN Region

• In Event: Women in Criminology and Criminal Justice: International Scholarship and the Academy

Abstract

With the adoption of the UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders, widely known as the Bangkok Rules, there is renewed attention to documenting the characteristics of imprisoned women and their experiences in confinement. This paper outlines research and practice related to the implementation of the Bangkok Rules and the ‘index of implementation” process designed to assess compliance to these Rules. We report data derived from several mixed-methods studies conducted in the ASEAN region. The paper concludes with a discussion of the efforts to translate the human rights standards into practice though research, training and a revised implementation process initiated by the Thailand Institute of Justice.

Authors

• Chontit Chuenurah, Thailand Institute of Justice

• Barbara Owen, California State University, Fresno