This article examines how Thai courts of the first instance deal with run-of-the-mill criminal cases. How do judges deal with criminal trials of a rather routine nature, often involving defendants from ethnic minorities and reflecting the particular conditions in the provinces concerned? Drawing on participant observation and interview research conducted mainly in two provinces in different regions of the country, the article examines the challenges faced by judges and court officials in dealing with heavy caseloads in a highly bureaucratized system where acquittal rates are extremely low. How far do such cases shed light on how judging is carried out in the majority of Thai courts? What kind of challenges do Thai judges face in adjudicating minor but often messy cases in order to fulfil societal expectations in line with their own understandings of justice?

中文翻译：

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惩罚性程序？在泰国下级刑事法院审判

本文探讨泰国一审法院如何处理普通刑事案件。法官如何处理相当常规的刑事审判，往往涉及少数民族被告并反映有关省份的特殊情况？本文通过主要在全国不同地区的两个省份进行的参与式观察和访谈研究，探讨了法官和法院官员在无罪开释率极低的高度官僚化制度下处理繁重案件所面临的挑战。这些案件在多大程度上说明了大多数泰国法院是如何进行审判的？泰国法官在审理小而杂乱的案件时面临哪些挑战，以符合自己对正义的理解的社会期望？