Capital Drug Laws in Asia

The book documents, analyses and makes accessible the law and policy related to illicit drugs in various Asian jurisdictions. The focus is specifically on the measures undertaken in Asia to combat drug offences and, in particular, the use of the death penalty for such offences. It will enhance the ability of public policy and law makers, non-governmental organisations and the general population to engage in the debate on the appropriate approach towards illicit drugs. A wide range of Asian jurisdictions, particularly in Southeast Asia, have been intentionally selected to show a diversity of approaches in the 'war on drugs' debate. The areas examined include developments in the law and policy relating to illicit drugs; use of criminal law measures to combat drug-related offences; motivations of drug offenders; public support for punitive punishments; structure of the laws; procedural rights of accused persons; mandatory/discretionary sentencing and use of the death penalty.

List of contents

1. Introduction; Part I. Executing States: 2. China's 'killing less' policy for drug crimes and the role of the judiciary; 3. Normative legitimacy of Iran's capital drug law and its application; 4. Debate and contestation in Singapore's death penalty; Part II. People of Death Row: 5. From the ghetto to the gallows: rights, race, class, and drug crimes in Malaysia; 6. Pathways to prison: economic, personal and relational motivations for drug offending in Indonesia; Part III. Actors and Agencies: 7. National narcotics agencies in Southeast Asia: relics of the regional 'war on drugs'; 8. leadership from below? networked governance in preventing the reintroduction of the death penalty in the Philippines; Part IV. States in Transition: 9. The new narcotics code of Thailand: a promising law?; 10. The undercurrent of the death penalty for drug trafficking in Southeast and East Asia for abolitionist states: the case of Hong Kong; Index.

Summary

Provides an overview on the use of punitive drug policies in Asia and offers a comparative perspective on the implications of the 'war on drugs' in the region characterised by disproportionate penalties, denial of legal rights, exploding prison populations, and unquestioning faith in the deterrent effects of the death penalty.

Product details

• Authors: Wing-Cheong (Singapore Management University Chan
• Assisted by: Wing-Cheong Chan (Editor), Chan Wing-Cheong (Editor), Michael Hor (Editor), Hor Michael (Editor), Mai Sato (Editor), Sato Mai (Editor)
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 31.05.2025
• EAN: 9781009513517
• ISBN: 978-1-0-0951351-7
• No. of pages: 302
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Law > International law, foreign law; China, Iran, Thailand, Malaysia, Human Rights, LAW / General, Criminal law & procedure, Hong Kong, Singapore, South East Asia, Drugs trade / drug trafficking, comparative law, Philippines, Indonesia, Civil rights & citizenship, Crime and criminology, Crime & criminology, Human rights, civil rights, Sentencing & punishment, Sentencing and punishment, Ethical Issues: Capital Punishment, Law & society, Criminal law: procedure and offences, Law and society, sociology of law