Section Code: 0073 - 0079

Criminal Code

GENERAL PROVISIONS
TITLE I
PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO GENERAL OFFENCES

Chapter 4: Criminal Liability

Section 73. Children under Ten

A child not yet over ten years of age shall not be punished for committing what is provided by the law to be an offence.

Section 74. Children over 10 but under 15

A child over ten years but not yet over fifteen years of age commits what is provided by the law to be an offence, shall not be punished, but the Court shall have the power as follows:

  1. To admonish the child and then discharge him ; and the Court may, if it thinks fit, summon the parents or guardian of the child or the person with whom the child is residing to be given an admonition too;
  2. If the Court is of opinion that the parents or guardian are able to take care of the child, the Court may give order to hand over the child to his parents or guardian by imposing the stipulation that the parents or guardian shall take care that the child does not cause any harm throughout the time prescribed by the Court, but not exceeding three years, and fixing a sum of money, as it thinks fit, which the parents or guardian shall have to pay to the Court, but not exceeding one thousand Baht for each time when such child causes harm;
  3. If the child resides with a person other than his parents or guardian, and the Court does not think fit to summon the parents or guardian to impose the aforesaid stipulation, the Court may summon the person with whom the child resides for questioning as to whether or not he will accept the stipulation similar to that prescribed for the parents or guardian as aforesaid. If the person with whom such child resides consents to accept such stipulation, the Court shall give order to hand over the child to such person by imposing the aforesaid stipulation;
  4. In case of the Court hands over the child to his parents, guardian or to the person with whom the child resides according to (2), the Court may determine the conditions for controlling behavior of the child in the same manner as provided in Section 56 also. In such case, the Court shall appoint a probation officer or any other official to control behavior of the child;
  5. If the child has no parents or guardian, or has them but the Court is of opinion that they are unable to take care of such child, or if the child resides with a person other than the parents or guardian, and such person refuses to accept the stipulation mentioned in (2), the Court may give order to hand over such child to a person or organization, as the Court thinks fit, to take care of, to train and to give instruction throughout the period of time prescribed by the Court when consented to by such person or organization. in such case, such person or organization shall have the same power as that of the guardian only for the purpose of taking care of, training and giving instruction as well as determining the residence and making arrangement for the work to be done by the child, as may be reasonable; or
  6. To send such child to a school or place of training and instruction or a place established for training and giving instruction to children throughout the period of time prescribed by the Court but not longer than the time when such child shall have completed eighteen years of age.

As to the orders of the Court mentioned in (2), (3), (4) and (5), if, at any time within the period of time prescribed by the Court, it appears to the Court itself, or it appears from the submission of the interested person, the Public Prosecutor, or the person or the organization to whom or which the Court has handed over the child for taking care of, training and giving instruction, or the official that the circumstances relating to such order have changed, the Court shall have the power to modify such order or to give a new order according to the power vested by this Section.

Section 75. Over 15 but under 18

Whenever any person over fifteen years but not yet over eighteen years of age commits any act provided by the law to be an offence, the Court shall take into account the sense of responsibility and all other things concerning such person in order to come to decision as to whether it is expedient to pass judgment inflicting punishment on such person or not. If the Court does not deem it expedient to pass judgment inflicting punishment, it shall proceed according to Section 74, or if the Court deems it expedient to pass judgment inflicting punishment, it shall reduce the scale of punishment as provided for such offence by one-half.

Section 76. Over 18 but under 20

Any person out of eighteen years but not out of twenty years of age commits an act as prescribed by the law to be an offence, if the Court to deem expedient may reduce the scale of the punishment as provided for such offence by one-third or a half.

Section 77. Parental Condition Violations

In case of the Court imposes a stipulation requiring the parents, guardian or the person with whom such child resides to take care that such child does not cause any harm according to Section 74 (2), if such child causes any harm within the prescribed time, the Court has the power to compel the parents, guardian or the person with whom such child resides to pay a sum of money not exceeding that determined in such stipulation within the time as the Court thinks fit. If the parents, guardian or the person with whom such child resides fail to pay the sum of money, the Court may give order to seize the property of the parents, guardian or the person with whom such child resides for payment of what must be paid.

In case of the Court compels the parents, guardian or the person with whom such child resides to pay the sum of money according to such stipulation, if the Court does not modify the order imposing such stipulation according to the last paragraph of Section 74 to be otherwise, such stipulation shall remain in force further until the period of time prescribed in such stipulation terminates.

Section 78. Mitigating Circumstances

Whenever it appears that there exists mitigating circumstance, irrespective of whether there is an increase or reduction of the punishment according to the provisions of this Code or the other law, the Court may, if it is suitable, reduce the punishment to be inflicted on the offender by not more than one-half.

Mitigating circumstances may include lack of intelligence, serious distress, previous good conduct, the repentance and the efforts made by the offender to minimize the injurious consequence of the offence, voluntary surrender to an official, the information given or the Court for the benefit of the trial, or the other circumstance which the Court considers to be of similar nature.

Section 79. Payment of Fine before Court Begins

In the case having offence to be punished with fine only, if the person alleged as having committed an offence pays the fine in the maximum rate for such offence before the Court commences to take the evidence, the case shall be terminated.