Thai women's prison highlights need for reform, drug policy rethink

[webfact]

Thai women's prison highlights need for reform, drug policy rethink

By Amy Sawitta Lefevre

 

Women prisoners are seen during their lunch at Chiang Mai Women's Correctional Institute, in Chiang Mai, Thailand, January 24, 2018. Picture taken January 24, 2018. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

 

CHIANG MAI, Thailand (Reuters) - A visit by a Thai princess to a women's prison on Thursday spotlighted the need for reform in a country that houses some of the world's most crowded jails, partly because of its battle against the scourge of illicit drugs.

 

Several Southeast Asian governments, led by the Philippines, have adopted hardline policies on drug-related crimes, putting a heavy burden on their jails, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) says.

 

Thailand has about a tenth of Southeast Asia's population, but about 40 per cent of its prisoners, most convicted of drug offences.

 

"We have to ensure fair and equitable justice, understand the reasons people are ending up in prison, and we also have to address the specific needs of women," Thailand's Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol said.

 

The remarks came as she led diplomats on a visit to the Women's Correctional Institute in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai, to show how it had applied rules embodying a more gender-sensitive approach.

 

The prison is one of ten in Thailand piloting the "Bangkok Rules", or guidelines for the treatment of female prisoners adopted by the United Nations' General Assembly in 2010.

 

"Women have very different needs," Jeremy Douglas, UNODC Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, told Reuters. "They have health needs, they have children. So if they follow a male prison model it doesn't work."

 

Thailand has the fourth highest number of women prisoners in the world, after the United States, China, and Russia, says a French non-government body, the International Federation for Human Rights.

 

Some of the prison's 1,982 women inmates, 80 percent of whom have drug convictions, said they had experienced a difference since it adopted the U.N. Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners, as they are formally known.

 

"When I first came here it had been a male prison. It was very dirty. It's cleaner now," a 43-year-old who is serving a life sentence for trafficking methamphetamine pills, told Reuters during a visit to the prison.

 

In the prison's nursery, mothers were being encouraged to breastfeed their babies and elsewhere, other inmates received training in silk weaving and traditional massage.

 

Yet much remains to be done.

 

Women's prisons in Thailand are ready to adopt the Bangkok Rules, said Bussaba Sakrangkul, director of the Chiang Mai prison, but some facilities needed to be upgraded and some design changes made.

 

Overcrowding also remains an issue, with up to 50 inmates sleeping in a single room.

 

"What we've been looking out for is how to reduce prison overcrowding, not only in Thailand but across the region," Douglas said, adding that such steps called for changes to drug policy, shorter jail terms and treatment programmes.

 

(Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-01-26

[300sd]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

"What we've been looking out for is how to reduce prison overcrowding, not only in Thailand but across the region," Douglas said, adding that such steps called for changes to drug policy, shorter jail terms and treatment programmes.

Great. 

 

May want to speak with the justice department and have them also perform their duties to the law, especially the part that says: "prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt".

Not: guilty until you prove your innocence!

[yellowboat]

Life sentences for non violent crimes are barbaric and costly.

[Colabamumbai]

Stop sending them to prison might be a good option.

[steven100]

The Phillipines has the answer.

[dinsdale]

15 minutes ago, steven100 said:

The Phillipines has the answer.

Absolutely correct. If you have one, two maybe three ya-ba caps you should certainly be shot dead in an extra-judicial killing. Of course if you're corrupt and stealing loads of money from the people, that's ok.

[car720]

Not sure I would want to be in that room if the lights went out.

[CLW]

Life sentence for drug trafficking while Hi So's killing innocent people are still out of reach.
Welcome to Thailand I would say [emoji36]

[wakeupplease]

Is someone checking out the jails for future reference, if so good idea

[mok199]

our motto is ''If you don't have a drug problem when you check in ,you certainly will ,when you check out''...have a nice day....

Edited January 27, 2018 by mok199
speliing

[sanemax]

4 minutes ago, mok199 said:

our motto is ''If you don't have a drug problem when you check in ,you certainly will ,when you check out''...have a nice day....

Are you speaking factually, or are you just making things up ?

[sanemax]

On 1/26/2018 at 9:17 AM, webfact said:

"Women have very different needs," Jeremy Douglas, UNODC Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, told Reuters. "They have health needs, they have children. So if they follow a male prison model it doesn't work."

 

Nice to know that Men do not have health problems and Men do not have Children, just females do

[johnefallis]

1 hour ago, sanemax said:

Nice to know that Men do not have health problems and Men do not have Children, just females do

Equal rights...

[IAMHERE]

On 1/26/2018 at 4:32 PM, CLW said:

Life sentence for drug trafficking while Hi So's killing innocent people are still out of reach.
Welcome to Thailand I would say

Yes, it would seem that in many of these Hi-So cases that crime does pay. 

[canthai55]

On 1/26/2018 at 4:32 PM, CLW said:

Life sentence for drug trafficking while Hi So's killing innocent people are still out of reach.
Welcome to Thailand I would say

Not only Thailand ...

From the OP - Thailand has about a tenth of Southeast Asia's population, but about 40 per cent of its prisoners, most convicted of drug offences.

USA has 5% of the worlds population, and 25% of the worlds prison population, nearly half for non violent offences, 1/2 for drug offenses - primarily possession.

Any country which practices a War on Drugs is practicing a War on its own population, and the poor, disadvantaged, and minorities take the brunt of it.

[Rhys]

On 1/26/2018 at 2:26 PM, dinsdale said:

Absolutely correct. If you have one, two maybe three ya-ba caps you should certainly be shot dead in an extra-judicial killing. Of course if you're corrupt and stealing loads of money from the people, that's ok.

 

Was done here before during the T S.. time...

[steven100]

12 hours ago, canthai55 said:

Any country which practices a War on Drugs is practicing a War on its own population, and the poor, disadvantaged, and minorities take the brunt of it.

They only bear the brunt of it if they are drug users, pushers or sellers.   If they're not then nothing to worry about.

[dinsdale]

8 hours ago, Rhys said:

 

Was done here before during the T S.. time...

Quite so. Around 2,000 wasn't it?

[agudbuk]

Life sentence for drug trafficking while Hi So's killing innocent people are still out of reach.
Welcome to Thailand I would say [emoji36]

Drugs degrade people's lives and can end in death. Is supplying drugs that much different to stabbing someone?

[CLW]

Drugs degrade people's lives and can end in death. Is supplying drugs that much different to stabbing someone?

Taking drugs is everyone's own decision while getting stabbed relates on another person action which you don't have any influence.
If you argument like this, you could also prosecute manufacturer of alcohol, tobacco, weapons, knifes, cars etc

[agudbuk]

Taking drugs is everyone's own decision while getting stabbed relates on another person action which you don't have any influence.
If you argument like this, you could also prosecute manufacturer of alcohol, tobacco, weapons, knifes, cars etc

Tobacco the same if made illegal
Alchohol has some health benefits if used in moderation.
Weapons sold to civilians should be banned.
Knives and standard cars have other uses and benefits.

[CLW]

Tobacco the same if made illegal
Alchohol has some health benefits if used in moderation.
Weapons sold to civilians should be banned.
Knives and standard cars have other uses and benefits.

Well, drugs have also health benefits. In fact, most of them came from pharmaceutical research or existed naturally and have been used for ages.

[agudbuk]

Well, drugs have also health benefits. In fact, most of them came from pharmaceutical research or existed naturally and have been used for ages.

If prescribed by Dr. then ok

[jonclark]

8 hours ago, steven100 said:

They only bear the brunt of it if they are drug users, pushers or sellers.   If they're not then nothing to worry about.

Quite hard to prove your innocence if you are dead though, isn't it? 

 

I would be delighted to be proved to be wrong, if you would show, by means of a practical demonstration how your innocence could be proven by yourself, once you are dead. You up for it??

[agudbuk]

Quite hard to prove your innocence if you are dead though, isn't it? 
 
I would be delighted to be proved to be wrong, if you would show, by means of a practical demonstration how your innocence could be proven by yourself, once you are dead. You up for it??

The topic was prosecute not vigilante execution.