Exploring Conditions Conducive to Successful Operation of Community Justice Centers in Khon Kean Province

Abstract

Initiated by Thailand’s Ministry of Justice, community justice centers are established in subdistricts nationwide as an alternative mechanism to provide justice and to diminish inequality in access to justice. Although the ministry establish standard operational procedures and collaboration structure between the public and civil-society sectors, such procedures tend to be flexibly applied in practice. The current study aims to compare operational characteristics of community justice centers that won national awards on public participation and those of general community justice centers. It also aims to explore conditions conducive to successful operation of community justice centers. The authors employ a multiple case study design to examine four community justice centers in three subdistricts in Khon Kaen Province, Thailand. An in-depth interview method is used to collect primary data from 18 key informants.
The research found that the award-winning community justice center has different organizational and environmental characteristics than those of the other two centers. Managerial styles, community, government support, and operational networks play important roles in the center’s performance and effectiveness. The government should promote community justice centers as the major provider of justice at the communal level and to facilitate the formulation of their operational plans. At the same time, community justice centers should have effective operational networks.