SUMMARY

Police Colonel Khun Suchart Wongananchai recently reported to the media that the Department of Corrections is in need of more civil servants. Staff have been hired to fill vacancies, but the majority of these workers are temporary. In addition, many of the officer positions have been filled with privileged inmates who often carry out much of the work in and around a prison.

Khun Suchart indicated that the current number of civil servants was 11,000 thousand. In order to keep up with the rise of 3,000 additional prisoners per month, many more qualified individuals need to be hired.

By the end of 2013, the number of prisoners in Thailand will reach 300,000. This equates to a problem in the Thai prison system, since the ratio of officer to prisoner would be about 1 to 30. Ideally, the ratio should be closer to 1 to 5, nearly 1/6 the current situation. Overcrowding is a constant issue for Thai prisons, and not having enough qualified officers to run things will only worsen the lives of prisoners.

Khun Suchart also noted that up to 70% of convicted prisoners in Thailand were sent to jail for drug-related offenses. As the drug trade offers ways for people to make large amounts of money quickly, the police colonel was concerned that some officers might be tempted to collude with respected prisoners in their business.

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THAILAND BAIL ANALYSIS

The lawyers and case specialists at Thailand Bail visit these prisons regularly. We see that the conditions are very bad for many prisoners, and we hope the Thai government will modernize its prison system. However, we do not expect many major changes to take place in the coming years – there does not seem to be much concern for the well-being of prisoners in Thai jail. It is true that those who commit crimes should have to pay for the crime, but Thailand Bail is especially concerned with the well-being of those who have not been convicted of any crime at all. Being arrested and put in a jail Thailand can mean that you have to wait for justice for months. Unfortunately, it is often the case of being “guilty until proven innocent,” which is an idea that does not sit well with many foreigners in Thailand.

The mission of Thailand Bail is to work quickly, effectively, and affordably to get innocent people out of Thai jail. The first step in doing this is to successfully post bail. Our bail fees are some of the lowest in Thailand, and we always offer free consultations to our potential clients so that they know clearly what is happening with the case.

Report on Thai Prison, Posted 17 June 2013.