Official: Thai Jailors Overwhelmed By Number of Prisoners

Image: Khaosod English

BANGKOK: -- Chief of the Department of Corrections warned that lack of staff to properly maintain Thai prisons must be rectified as soon as possible.

Pol.Col. Suchart Wong-ananchai said that the Department of Corrections has seen no rise in new civil servants for the past 20 years, the number currently standing at 11,000 officials. He said only new additions so far have been temporary staff, and their training has not been as rigorous as normal staff.

Meanwhile, Pol.Col. Suchart said, number of prisoners in Thai prisons increase by about 3,000 persons each month. He expected that by the end of this year, the total number of prisoners would reach 300,000 nationwide, which means there would be 1 jailor for every 30 prisoners, whereas the standard recommends a ratio of 1 jailor for every 5 prisoners.

The chief of the Department of Corrections also noted that 70% of convicts are jailed for drug-related sentence, and he feared that Thai prisons are ripe ground for officials to get involved in drug business.

Source: http://www.khaosod.co.th/en/view_newsonline.php?newsid=TVRNM01Ea3lNakk0TWc9PQ

-- KHAOSOD English 2013-06-11

No problem inmates run the prisons anyway

All those inmates should start their own political party. Give PTP leadership a run for their money.

I wonder how many of those imprisoned for drug offences would be considered "big fish".

I wonder how many of those imprisoned for drug offences would be considered "big fish".

I expect none!

I wonder how many of those imprisoned for drug offences would be considered "big fish".

Most of the "big fish" wear brown uniforms.

Start executing more prisoners , such as the drug runners and then there would be space everywhere to more grow plants .

Hmmmm...maybe put more 60 year old cancer patients into jail, because they can't prove to you, that they are NOT ABLE to send an sms....

"The chief of the Department of Corrections also noted that 70% of convicts are jailed for drug-related sentence, and he feared that Thai prisons are ripe ground for officials to get involved in drug business."

I can't believe he actually said that!

As earlier poster mentioned, running of the prison is delegated to 'prefects' or enforcers usually long-term prisoners who have the respect (and fear) of the other prisoners.

This is a budgetary issue, no doubt.

"The chief of the Department of Corrections also noted that 70% of convicts are jailed for drug-related sentence, and he feared that Thai prisons are ripe ground for officials to get involved in drug business."

I can't believe he actually said that!

The Department chief is in line to win understatement of the year. " To get involved " is decades out of date and if he actually believes his own words he needs counselling not a move to an inactive post.

Thai jails are so crowded that it is a problem for the screws on the take to distribute the skim and balance the books.

Woahh, 300.000 prisoners in Thailand. Similar figures for some European countries are:

Sweden - 7.286

Germany - 69.385

Denmark - 3.967

Polen - 82.794

Tjeckien - 22.595

Succesful politics here..

Glegolo

So Thais like to imitate what they think are Western ways and styles but do not have the intelligence nor backbone to make those ways and styles produce the correct results.

I mean; when you really think about it, this story reads between the lines of Thai official incompetence. They do not have any method of screening in order to keep gang members from being employed and working within the system. They more than likely do not have a logical database or work flow system that keeps track of the T's being crossed and I's being dotted. They do not complain until it happens; and any foresight is lost in the haze of "dicking" around and wasting valuable time with their petty, self-indulging, materialistic addictions. Need I go on?

This entire article goes back to your typical Thai stupidity as the foundation for all of these woes and crisis'. It truly is... "The Never-Ending Story".

All those inmates should start their own political party. Give PTP leadership a run for their money.

Could be known as the 'Striped Shirts'?

thai staff can go to some south american country to learn, there the inmates rule openly the prison... sentenses are carried out and once and a while, there is a big revolt, which decreases the numbers of inmates naturally

Could be worse per capita the States and Canada have more.

I think it is a world wide problem with correction officials involved in drugs.

I know I interviewed a prisoner in British Columbia who was in Maximum security. This man had been one of 7 who had started a riot in the New Westminster prison that killed a nurse it has since been torn down. He told me there was some pretty tough characters in there and I said ya I imagine there would be. He said no it was the guards. He told me they were the main supply for Weed in the prisons.

My incredible stupid Thai ex wife got arrested in 2008. After our divorce she got a Thai boyfriend and arrested with possession of Yabaa and both convicted to 5 years / 4 months. She got transferred 3 times, from Klong Plem to Pathum Thani, from PT to Petchabun. Even in prison she kept making problems liking misusing cell.phones from officials. In petchabun she got 5 months strong regime, no visitors allowed and a isolation cell. After 3 years and 3 months they threw her out, early release beacuse they needed the space......in those 3 yrs. she lost all her English knowledge, did not get any training / education, books to read. In my Utopian thinking I thought she would get out and able to start working as a maid in a hotel or in a factory. To cut it short; she works in the night entertainment (where pills are more common then Mama noodle soup) so soon she will be in trouble again and the Government will have to make cell space for her. The Correctional System here is a joke......perpetual mobile.

"The chief of the Department of Corrections also noted that 70% of convicts are jailed for drug-related sentence, and he feared that Thai prisons are ripe ground for officials to get involved in drug business."

I can't believe he actually said that!

Remember Ripley's Believe it or Not! No, well you're all too young . . .

These guys are not very good at public relations . . The price for getting out of prison must be getting to high. They obviously have to start negotiating 'down' a bit.

People can only afford what they can afford.

Why is so? Thailand and Queensland in Australia are very popular places to commit crime! Ahem

Maybe Government should do something so poverty doesn't force so many people to commit crimes!

Punish them as hard as possible, seems to be doens't working.

"The chief of the Department of Corrections also noted that 70% of convicts are jailed for drug-related sentence, and he feared that Thai prisons are ripe ground for officials to get involved in drug business."

I can't believe he actually said that!

but true.....

The chief of the Department of Corrections also noted that 70% of convicts are jailed for drug-related sentence, and he feared that Thai prisons are ripe ground for officials to get involved in drug business.

When I get to be "Boss" I'm going to decriminalize drugs, regulate and tax the product.

For the record, I do not approve of drug usage, but I feel the same about alcohol, prostitution, gambling and other social vices that some of the public desires. Try reading about (Alcohol) Prohibition in the USA in the 1920s. It gave small time, petty criminals the means to become major players in organized crime. Yeah, that worked out well for social engineering...

Jailing some simple Somchai who foolishly has a Yaba tablet on his person is a waste of police and corrections resources. Some agressive street and highway patrolling to catch reckless drivers would be a better use of resources. Could even save lives...

PS- As an American, I'd legalize drugs in the US first; we need the tax revenue

Just another example of the inane inability of this country to administrate anything in a cohesive maner. Keep fixing the effect until the cause bites your ass.

300 000 by 69.4 million is not much

Everybody knows that prison staff is often drunk at night and lazy at day. They beat the crap out of prisoners or let do the beating by inmates. It is not the Thai jailers that do the the work it is the prisoners. Look in any prison and spot the people with the special T-shirts. They are the de facto Capo's. They better start educating the courts and the police not to round everybody up. Stop paying commission to the police for any convicted fellow. 75% could be send home without jeopardizing security. It makes room too to lock up the people who occupied airports and kill policemen with Ferrari's and for sons of Vice Prime ministers who kill in disco's

The chief of the Department of Corrections also noted that 70% of convicts are jailed for drug-related sentence, and he feared that Thai prisons are ripe ground for officials to get involved in drug business.

When I get to be "Boss" I'm going to decriminalize drugs, regulate and tax the product.

For the record, I do not approve of drug usage, but I feel the same about alcohol, prostitution, gambling and other social vices that some of the public desires. Try reading about (Alcohol) Prohibition in the USA in the 1920s. It gave small time, petty criminals the means to become major players in organized crime. Yeah, that worked out well for social engineering...

Jailing some simple Somchai who foolishly has a Yaba tablet on his person is a waste of police and corrections resources. Some agressive street and highway patrolling to catch reckless drivers would be a better use of resources. Could even save lives...

PS- As an American, I'd legalize drugs in the US first; we need the tax revenue

I must say I agree with you Lancelot[sIR]about Jailing someSomchai for possessing a couple of Yabbas.When I see these people on the News and pointing at the stash of illegal stuff,there is nearly always a bundle of notes on the table. OK now ,these people are only in the game for the money,so OK take the money off them,give them a hefty fine even if you have to accept weekly payments.In other words make them pay where it hurts the most and keep them out of the Jails.The fine can be worked out as commensurate with the severity,and Hey the police have a whole lot of new revenue----- NO forget I said that !!!

No problem inmates run the prisons anyway

+1

No problem inmates run the prisons anyway

The lunatics certainly run the asylums anyway

thai jails overwhelmed?

Well, as much as I truly love this nation this does not suprise me at all.

I had an incident thanks to thonglor "police" in which I was taken off the street, accused of insulting a policeman and then resisting arrest.

This is complete nonsense.I have never in my life done such a thing.

All I did was complain when a young officer tipped my whole bag out on the top of a taxi after I asked him not to shine a torch directly into my face.

I was polite at all times saying 'please"in english.

I was asked if I wanted to pay a bribe to 'settle" the matter .

I refused and was mildly beaten up in the back of a police van when I objected( one the older officers later told my lawyer that he was sorry that he had to beat me up, but was ordered to by this young officer because I had made him loose face), but only verbally to handcuff's being used.

I paid bail.

I was told there was no way I could contest the charges and that I faced certain jail.A 6 months sentence.

The only way to settle was to pay an even bigger bribe and for my lawyer to make an arrangement with the thonglor head of police.

I smuggled myself across the boarder, went back to my country and changed my name and promotely returned.

I am a law abiding respectful person who has never used violence nor disrespected anyone in a such a way in my entire life.

I had witnesses including a local person but was told this would be useless.A thai judge would only listen to the evidence of a policeman.

This makes me both angry and sad.

This is not a representation of the thai people I have come to know and love.

Recently, I was told of a case where a young man with history of mental issue's was given a passport and travelled to thailand for a holiday.

On his second day here he married a bar lady he met in pattaya and honey mooned in cambodia ( or lao's)

To cut a long story short, her daughter ( from pervious marriage ) was found to be carrying 9 yabaa pills.The devoted wife (with criminal record)persuaded her new husband to say that he had bought the drugs and placed them in this little girls bag because he would not be punished.

He now face's 25 year's for corruption.

This is absurd and no wonder thai jails are over flowing with prisioners if they can do this so easily and unjustly and get away with it.

I now live my life quietly and I hope I never get caught and unjustly put in jail because I simply do not deserve it and would not be able to take such unjust punishment without then seeking retribution.

Meanwhile, Pol.Col. Suchart said, number of prisoners in Thai prisons increase by about 3,000 persons each month. He expected that by the end of this year, the total number of prisoners would reach 300,000 nationwide, which means there would be 1 jailor for every 30 prisoners, whereas the standard recommends a ratio of 1 jailor for every 5 prisoners.

Really time to upgrade this country into A World Class Standard Prison Paradise. =