Long Term Imprisonment for Drug Trafficking in Southeast Asia: Politics, Policies, Practices and Populations.

Abstract

<p>The amount of people in prison (8%) and their duration of imprisonment is globally increasing since<br>2010 (Penal Reform International, 2021).While there has been a trend towards the decriminalization<br>of drug use and possession and a decrease in the use of the death penalty for drug related offences<br>globally, the imprisonment of people involved in illegal drug markets for trafficking and production<br>continue to be a significant factor in prison population growth. Of the 11 million prisoners worldwide,<br>2.5 million of them are convicted of drug related offences (ibid). This increase in sentences of life<br>and long term imprisonment has been associated with the decline in the use of the death penalty<br>with 2020 seeing the lowest number of executions worldwide (ibid). However within South East Asia,<br>reduction in the use of the death penalty can only in part explain the increasing use of life or longterm<br>imprisonment. Data accessibility and transparency issues continue to hinder our understanding<br>of judicial and prison experiences within the region. This paper explores the evolving, yet sometime<br>stagnant, regional politics on drug use and trafficking. The polices and practise – mandatory minimum<br>sentences , pre -trial detention, drug offences as a barrier for early release and alternative measures –<br>that extend prison sentences. Moreover, the populations who continue to be disproportionally caught<br>in the net of these punitive polices – foreign nationals, those with disabilities and women. References<br>Penal Reform International, (2021) Global Prison Trends.<br></p>