If you have ever spent any time inside a Thai prison, you will know how difficult life can be on the inside. There is constant overcrowding, disease, lack of clean food and water, immense heat, lack of access to people outside the prison, occasional violence and death, and other challenges. Whilst some of these aspects are the same in every prison around the world, Thai prisons have certain unique challenges. The Bangkok Hilton, a fictitious name typically associated with the Bang Kwang Prison, has some of the strictest rules of any Thai prison.

The government body overseeing the prison system in Thailand is the Department of Corrections, based in Nonthaburi, just outside Bangkok. They have been trying to incorporate some new programs into prisons around Thailand, including LINE app calls with qualifying relatives as well as yoga. Thailand Bail is pleased to see these positive changes in the prison system, but the difficulties of life in prison still outweigh the risk of having to spend any significant time inside. 

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The Bangkok Hilton

The so-called “Bangkok Hilton” is usually associated with the Bang Kwang Prison in Nonthaburi. Thailand Bail’s lawyers and case specialists visit prisoners in the Bang Kwang Prison and have first-hand information about what life is like inside the Bangkok Hilton. Bang Kwang Prison is typically reserved for prisoners whose cases have been finalised, although some prisoners inside are waiting for judgments from the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. For example, if a defendant with a major drug case is housed in the Bam Bat (Klong Prem) Prison, and the judgment comes down from the Court of First Instance sentencing them to a lengthy prison term (usually 20 years or more), they will be moved to the Bang Kwang Prison, regardless of if they are appealing the decision. We hate to see it, but we have also been made aware of defendants of financial crimes, such as ATM card fraud, skimming, and associated crimes, serving 50-year sentences in Bang Kwang as well. For these prisoners, they were likely in the Klong Prem Remand Prison (if the case was in Bangkok) or one of the provincial prisons around Thailand. We have special knowledge about ATM card fraud cases, so make sure you contact Thailand Bail for more details about how to defend yourself in these cases. If you are truly guilty, then it is very important to have effective legal representation to reduce your time in prison from 50 years to just 1-2 years. Having a sentence of 1-2 years also means you will avoid time in the Bang Kwang Prison. 

Daily life in the Bangkok Hilton is difficult, with all of the negatives mentioned above being present here. We will not go into detail in this article, as we have no intention to cast a negative light on the Bang Kwang Prison, and there are many other news articles, as well as a BBC documentary, to provide additional details about life inside the Bangkok Hilton. 

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Positive Steps by the Department of Corrections

There have been some recent steps from the Department of Corrections in Thailand to make life a little bit better for prisoners. LINE app calls have been incorporated for a while now, and we have helped many people stay in touch with their family members through these monthly video calls. This is especially helpful for foreign prisoners whose families are not in Thailand. If you have a relative / family member in a Thai prison, and you would like to connect with them via LINE app calls, please contact the lawyers at Thailand Bail for assistance. 

In addition, a recent article in The Nation newspaper ( https://www.nationthailand.com/lifestyle/30378981 ) has highlighted a yoga program started in the Ratchaburi Prison several years ago. The leaders of the program have stated that up to 90% of those who participate in the program are able to use the skills they learned in prison when they are released. In addition, the benefits of yoga are beneficial for prisoners to reduce stress, keep fit, and also maintain a stable mental state. One of the hardest parts of being in prison is the endless hours doing nothing in poor conditions. Hopefully the yoga program will be expanded to other prisons so that prisoners in the Bangkok Hilton as well as other prisons can have some sort of support. This program could serve as a pilot program for other prisons in Thailand and the rest of Southeast Asia. As a side note, we know of other prisoners in other countries practicing yoga to stay fit, both mentally and physically, including Viktor Bout, currently incarcerated in the Marion USP in Illinois, US, but previously imprisoned in the Bangkok Remand Prison from 2008 – 2010, before being moved for a brief period to the Bang Kwang Prison. 

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More Details About Life in a Thai Prison

If you have a friend or family facing prison time in Thailand, please contact Thailand Bail to discuss options for avoiding serious prison time in a Thai prison.