Reconciliatory Community: Mechanisms for Driving Cooperation in Conflict Resolution through Community Justice under the Dispute Mediation Act, B.E. 2562 via Community Charters in Udon Thani Province
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Abstract
The objectives of this research article were to: 1) manage knowledge according to legal provisions regarding conflict resolution through community justice under the Dispute Mediation Act, B.E. 2562, 2) create a participatory draft of a community charter for conflict resolution through community justice under the Dispute Mediation Act, B.E. 2562, in Udon Thani Province, and 3) transfer collaborative mechanisms for conflict resolution through community justice under the Dispute Mediation Act, B.E. 2562, via community charters. This study employed a mixed-methods research design. The quantitative data were collected through questionnaires, while the qualitative data were gathered through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Content analysis was used for data evaluation.
From the study, the following results were found: 1) People's dispute mediation centers were able to reduce interpersonal conflicts, lower expenses, and decrease the volume of court cases. The community justice centers and community charters served as mechanisms for driving cooperation to reduce conflicts within the community, with an evaluation mean score of = 3.72 (74.45%) and a standard deviation of S.D. = 1.11, interpreted at a high level. This reflects that the community held a positive view toward utilizing community charters as a mechanism for driving local dispute mediation; 2) the draft community charter functioned as a collaborative mechanism for resolving conflicts through community justice, thereby reducing disputes and fostering reconciliation. The transfer of these collaborative mechanisms was conducted through a participatory approach based on the authority of Sections 26 and 43 (1) of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand. This resulted in a draft community charter for conflict resolution that aligned with the Judiciary's policy, which aimed to reduce t the number of cases entering the judicial system by promoting mediation in both criminal and civil disputes.
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