NCJ Number
87787
Date Published
1982
Length
38 pages
Annotation
This discussion of Thailand's corrections considers prison industry, remands, the status of prison officers and human rights, prisoners' exchange arrangements, the problems of drug-abusing inmates, and accreditation and international status.
Abstract
All convicted prisoners in Thailand are assigned to work programs established in each institution. During 1980, there were about 45,000 inmates engaged in more than 20 types of work. Although prison industry is linked to vocational training, the emphasis is on productive capacity, since the Department of Corrections depends upon income from prison work to meet its budget. Some problems are an insufficent number of industrial instructors, vocationally unskilled inmates, limited markets for prison products, and a limited budget. Slightly more than 23 percent of the total prison population consists of remands, who are housed in separate sections of correctional institutions. Care is taken to make conditions as nonpunitive as possible, since remands are under the status of the presumption of innocence. More efficient judicial processing could help in reducing the number of remands. The Constitution of Thailand protects human rights in the administration of criminal justice, including the provision of legal aid. Prison officers have the status of civil servants, and selection is through competitive examination. Candidates must serve 6 months probation. Although exchange of prisoners arrangements have reached the stage of draft treaty negotiation, it is not a strongly supported concept, since it is viewed as lenient treatment toward offenders. The high number of inmates convicted of drug offenses has prompted the development of special treatment programs for them, notably in the areas of medical treatment, educational and vocational training programs, and religious training. The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners are respected in principle and practice, although their full implementation has not been realized. Related tabular data are provided.