The appalling state of Thai prisons
Staying in a Thai cell is often extremely unpleasant. Thai prisons are severely overcrowded and there is insufficient access to food, drinking water and medical assistance. Sanitation is poor and prisoners are exposed to harsh working conditions. Sometimes there is even talk of abuse or torture.
The situation is therefore downright deplorable, even though Thailand is a member of various international treaties in the field of detention-related matters. According to these conventions, every prisoner has the right to be treated with respect and dignity, and acts such as torture, cruelty and inhumane or degrading treatment are explicitly prohibited. Although the government recognizes that issues such as overcrowding are a problem, it has so far failed to implement visible improvements.
Legislation falls short
To begin with, Thai law simply does not meet the minimum standards set by international treaties. For example, Thai law allows a prisoner's freedom of movement during transport to be restricted to what the officer on duty deems "reasonable". However, such a broad formulation leaves the door open for abuse of power. Thai law allows the use of firearms in escape attempts, where UN treaties state that firearms should not be used unless there are life-threatening situations.
Thai law also allows other locations to be designated as places of detention in addition to official prisons. This raises concerns that civilians could potentially be held captive on a military base.
Freedom restriction
Prisoners can be restricted in their movement with the help of handcuffs, leg irons, a heavy metal weight that they have to carry themselves or by literally chaining them up.
Prisoners who have made an interim visit to the court are subject to an examination, including an inspection of the body cavities, upon their return. This is to prevent the smuggling of objects.
Defendants and convicts locked up together
Due to overcrowding, people who are in pre-trial detention – and have therefore not (yet) been found guilty – are locked up in the same room as people who have already been convicted. 20% of the entire prison population is on remand.
Who is behind bars?
About 80% of Thai prisoners are incarcerated for drug offences. With 367 inmates, Thailand has one of the world's largest prison populations, only India, Russia, Brazil, China and the US have more people behind bars. But even if we compare the figures against the country's 66,7 million inhabitants, Thailand has a very high number of prisoners: 555 per 100 thousand inhabitants. This is comparable to countries such as Rwanda, Turkmenistan and El Salvador. For comparison; The world leader is the US with 655 prisoners per 100 thousand inhabitants. The Netherlands and Belgium have 63 and 95 prisoners per 100 thousand inhabitants respectively.
Men and women are locked up in separate prisons. There is an additional disadvantage for women here: due to the limited number of women's prisons, they are often detained far away from home. This makes visits from relatives and friends even more difficult for them.
Half of the prisoners are serving a prison sentence of 2 to 10 years:
| Length of prison sentence: | percentage: |
| <3 months | 1,47% |
| 3-6 months | 1,5% |
| 6-12 months | 7,77% |
| 1-2 | 12,49% |
| 2-5 | 28,66% |
| 5-10 | 21,86% |
| 10-15 | 8,27% |
| 15-20 | 5,43% |
| 20-50 | 10,62% |
| Lifetime | 1,87% |
| Capital punishment | 0,07% |
Budget
An annual amount of 13,5 billion baht is available for the prison system. That amounts to less than 36.600 baht per prisoner per year (or 3 thousand baht per month) with which housing, personnel, food and so on must be paid for. With such a limited budget you can't do much…
Overcrowded prisons
The Department of Correctional Institutions states that with a 'normal occupancy rate', 2,25m² of space is counted for each prisoner. If we look at the number of prisoners, this gives an average occupancy rate of at least 224% (even 339.1%, according to Prisonstudies.org)! The most overcrowded prison has an occupancy rate of 652%, the least occupied prison has an occupancy rate of 94%. Overcrowding is more severe in provincial prisons located outside of Bangkok.
To deal with these figures, the authorities have introduced alternative occupancy rates: a 'maximum occupancy rate' lowers the bar to 1,2 m² for men and 1,1 m² for women. The 'maximum occupancy rate of 30%' even reduces this to 0,85m² per prisoner. The International Red Cross sets 3,4m² as a minimum.
Practical examples: in the Bangkok Remand Prison, 40-50 people share a cell space of 24m². In the adjacent Lard Yao Central Women's Prison, 70-80 people share a 32m² cell.
The cell rooms
Prisoners are given a simple mat, blanket and pillow to sleep on the floor. Prisoners sleep on their sides because of the lack of space and the fear of conflict with cellmates. They report that they suffer from pain in the back and legs because they cannot really move during sleep. There are also reports that because of this lack of space, the legs of sleeping prisoners are placed over each other.
Sleeping is difficult anyway, for safety reasons, the lighting stays on at night. Requests to dim the lighting are rejected. Fortunately, ventilation is sufficient in many prisons. Elderly, disabled and (seriously) ill prisoners with HIV, TB, etc. share one and the same room.
Prisoner Transport Wagon (John And Penny / Shutterstock.com)
Sanitary units
There is actually no privacy when visiting the toilet, the toilet is often an open squat toilet without a door. Access to a toilet is not guaranteed 24 hours a day in all prisons. Access to drinking water and shower water is insufficiently secure, especially in the summer when there are water shortages. The quality is sometimes insufficient due to poor or no purification of the water. Prisoners can buy additional drinking water in the prison shop.
Female prisoners receive a number of panty liners once a month or quarter. These are insufficient in number and quality, so they have to be bought in the prison shop.
The food
The food is substandard: the nutritional value and quality of the food is a cause for concern. Especially for poorer prisoners, who cannot buy extra food from the prison shop or buy or get food from outside. Prisoners report that food delivered for family does not always reach the prisoner. You get 3 meals a day. Prisoners report that the food does not taste good. The queues at the canteen are long. The food contains hardly any meat and the little bit of meat is of poor quality. In some prisons fresh fruit is occasionally available at the end of the meal.
According to UN rules, “every prisoner must be provided with sufficient nutritious food, adequate for health and energy, prepared and served of sufficient quality, at the usual times”.
healthcare
Usually there is only one nurse on standby during the day, and the number of available nurses is also insufficient. A doctor visits two or three times a week. Prisoners who want to see the doctor must register and let them know what is wrong with them. Prison staff then assess whether they can visit the doctor.
Prisoners derisively speak of “two minutes doctors” because “a conversation with the doctor lasts no longer than two minutes” and “the doctor sits across the room, far from you as if they are disgusted with us”. The doctors and nurses usually prescribe paracetamol to combat the ailments. Prisoners describe the situation as “terrible, it is better to die than to get sick”.
Chronic illness (such as kidney disease and high blood pressure) are commonplace. There is insufficient treatment for those caught with drug withdrawal symptoms. According to the UN, detainees should enjoy the same standard of health as is customary for the general community of the country in question.
Exploitation at work
Working conditions are very harsh and well below international minimum standards. Prisoners work seven days a week from 8 a.m. to mid-afternoon. The work can consist of things such as handicrafts (e.g. shoe making), painting, sewing, folding, ironing, baking, etc. Unskilled work gives a compensation of 8 baht per day, this can rise to 67 baht per day for skilled work. Training is given, such as lessons in haircutting or massage, so that prisoners can find a job after release.
There are minimum quotas and those who do insufficient work will be punished. The punishment is up to the staff and can consist, for example, of non-payment of wages, corporal punishment or compulsory overtime until all work is done.
Inmates at a juvenile detention center (Yupa Watchanakit / Shutterstock.com)
Access to the outside world
Access to the outside world is very limited. There is a maximum on the number of guests a prisoner may receive periodically. According to the rules, prisoners must draw up a list of 10 names of people who wish to receive them. On special days such as Songkran and New Year's Day, physical contact with the children or family is allowed. There are reports of humiliating or inappropriate behavior towards visitors: think of intimate touching or the mandatory baring of the upper body of female visitors.
There are no public telephones. Sending and receiving letters is allowed in limited sizes. The maximum number of letters depends on the behavior of the prisoner. The letters must be short and are all read. Letters with incorrect content will be confiscated by staff.
Access media
All prisons have television, but the guards control the programming. This is not live but will be pre-recorded. News broadcasts are not part of the program, it is mostly TV series or the royal news that people get to see. Newspapers are not allowed.
Complaints
Prisoners can report complaints in person or put a written report in a mailbox. Complete anonymity is often difficult here. Political prisoners are monitored by international organizations and are therefore less likely to be retaliated by staff. For these reasons, political prisoners sometimes act as a conduit for messages from the other prisoners.
Punishment
There are no specific guidelines, the punishment is to be determined by the prison guards. Punishment measures do not meet the international standard, sometimes there is abuse or torture. For example, punishments can consist of restriction of letter traffic, lowering of status, mandatory cleaning work, beating, kicking, doing strenuous physical exertion in the burning sun, sitting/standing for hours in the burning sun or solitary confinement (in a darkened cell) up to several weeks. Collective punishments such as joint push-ups are also meted out, even if this is in violation of UN agreements.
Return to society
Prisoners can earn degrees to improve their job prospects. One can apply for a loan to help start a new job. The prisoner must then draw up a career plan. Unfortunately, both the preparation for return to society and the actual reintegration into society fall short. However, a good new start is very important to reduce the risk of recidivism and to make people a successful part of society again. One-third of Thai ex-prisoners will return to prison within three years.
Conclusion
It should be clear, you better not end up in a Thai prison. Of course, the exact conditions will differ somewhat per prison and individual detainee, but overall life in prison is extremely miserable. Is Thailand doing the right thing to lock up so many people? In any case, it will take considerable investments to make life in prison a little more humane and to bring it into line with the various treaties that Thailand has also committed itself to.
Sources:
The various figures come from the period 2017-2021.
- https://www.fidh.org/en/region/asia/thailand/not-so-model-the-reality-of-women-incarcerated-in-thailand-s-model
- https://www.fidh.org/en/region/asia/thailand/thailand-report-calls-for-urgent-prison-reforms
- https://www.prisonstudies.org/highest-to-lowest/prison-population-total?field_region_taxonomy_tid=All
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/262962/countries-with-the-most-prisoners-per-100-000-inhabitants/
- http://en.correct.go.th/information-statistics/statistics/overview/
- https://nos.nl/artikel/2343882-weer-meer-mensen-in-nederlandse-gevangenissen.html
I can say that this article creates a completely wrong, if not a very one-sided, picture of Thai prisons.
I cannot speak of all prisons as my experience with them is limited and I assume there will be many differences in the way prisons are run.
In my experience, however, the people who come out often look better than when they went in.
There are good arrangements for family visits both in prison and via a line connection.
It is possible to put money in an internal account of the prisoner, which they can use to buy products in the prison shop at prices similar to the prices at the 7/11.
There is also the possibility to order food from outside the prison for reasonable prices.
20 Baht for Somtam 10 Baht for sticky rice 20 Baht for Fried egg.
Having said this, there will be many differences between prisons and the regime in prisons/wards where the serious offenders are kept will undoubtedly be stricter.
If you're already serving life for murder, you could probably get another life from a guard if he annoys you.
The prisoners are divided into risk groups and when you enter you will be classified as dangerous and depending on your behavior and the reason for your conviction, it will be adjusted and you may be given more (privileges) rights.
In my experience, the staff at the prison are very helpful to visitors and treat the prisoners as human beings, if the prisoners are well behaved.
Training is also given to make it easier for the prisoners to find a job later on.
Furthermore, the government now has a program in which the prisoners are released with an ankle bracelet.
They must then report regularly.
However, this has not yet solved the overpopulation, although it obviously helps.
To combat overcrowding, the court should probably impose lesser sentences, but the laws would have to be changed to do so.
I think the above story paints a very one-sided picture.
The authors of the reports on which I have largely compiled this article write that they have not looked at all prisons and do not know the experience of all prisoners. The picture can and will differ per individual prison and prisoner. The report, however, broadly corresponds to reports from the media (newspapers, documentaries, etc.) that I have seen in recent years. It therefore seems strange to me to say that the picture described is 'completely incorrect'. The prisons are overcrowded, sleeping in a crowded pen on a thin mat is no fun. It gives me a bit of an image of a prison about 100 years ago.
Those people you saw coming in and out dear Ruud, did they have good help from outside? As stated in the article and as you point out, prisoners can make purchases in the prison shop. They have their own bank account for this (with a maximum balance, as stated in the reports). if you are a prisoner who receives regular visitors, also food and drink through them and who has the opportunity to do craftsmanship (that pays the highest within walls), then you can get by nicely and improve yourself with the training described. However, if you do not have regular visits and only unskilled work to do, you will earn a tip with hard work, doing your daily shopping is not an option. All those prisoners are still crammed together in too small spaces.
Good to read that you would do something about the punishments. The number of detentions for people caught with a small amount of XTC or speed is crazy. The prison is overflowing with those people. It's not the 'great evil drug lords' who are under lock and key here en masse.
The training courses and such are of course nice, but if so many end up behind bars again within a few years, then I wonder if the preparation for return could not be better.
I don't want to start an extensive discussion about it, the moderation wouldn't allow that either.
A few points anyway.
1. Are all those reports in the newspapers truthful and not outdated?
If you say prison and Thailand in one sentence, everyone shouts that they are hell on earth.
An image that has been widely ventilated by the lawyers of the van Laarhoven family.
Van Laarhoven was probably in the prison where the biggest criminals end up, who are unlikely to be released during their lifetime.
So yes, a very strict prison, because there will be many dangerous prisoners.
2. Sleeping on a mat on the concrete floor is still common in the village.
It's not just in prison.
3. I have never heard of torture and ill-treatment from released prisoners, in general there is a good relationship with the guards and through guards I know I am also kept informed about prisoners, how they are doing.
I can't go visit everyone.
4. Most of the prisoners I know are from poor families.
They will not receive large amounts in their account.
5. The prisons are too small for the number of prisoners, but that cannot be blamed on the prison, which has to make do with the available space.
The government has therefore also introduced ankle bracelets and if I am right, but I am not entirely sure, there is also an early release project without ankle bracelet.
With good behavior, the sentence is already regularly shortened.
6. Preparing for the return to society seems to me to be primarily the responsibility of the prisoner.
He knows why he ended up in jail, mostly drug addiction and drug trafficking.
When he gets out of prison, he'll be off drugs long enough to stop being addicted.
If he chooses to start with that again, that's his own choice.
The preparation of the prisoners consists of teaching them something with which to earn a living.
And learning to work is an important part of that.
7. I will inquire about going to the toilet.
8. If it was possible to get pictures I would post them, but also the guards are not allowed to take pictures in prison.
Ruud,
Read this also. Maybe it will change your mind. All the stories I've read from ex-cons say it was hell.
https://www.hln.be/buitenland/kakkerlakken-en-wormen-eten-zo-ziet-het-leven-in-een-thaise-gevangenis-eruit~a5d9a218/
And this one:
http://marjoleindejongmedia.nl/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/30_Krant-gevangen-in-Thailand.pdf
And this one:
https://panorama.nl/artikel/179991/bezoek-aan-de-hel-van-thailand
The last:
https://www.trefpuntazie.com/thailand-gevangenen-recidive/
As the punishments in Thailand for some crimes seem very high to ME, ie me personally, with my values and standards, the fines for traffic violations in the Netherlands are very high for many Thai people.
Is a country, in this case a democratic parliament - based on its own insight - allowed or not to determine the maximum penalty for crimes and violations and leave it to the judge whether it is also applied? Or should every country include the same penalty in laws? And if so, are we going to average the maximum sentence across all countries in the world?
The punishment does not so much influence the behavior as the perceived (is not the same as the actual) chance of being caught. Prevention is better than confinement.
Wouldn't it be a strange world if we 'have to use the same everywhere'. Let the people decide together in good consultation. Until the (supposed) chance of being caught is more important than the length of the prison sentence, I hope it is widely known by now. Even better: create awareness of why certain actions are really not possible. Then you prevent even more efficiently things that a group sees as abuse.
Anyway, the point here is to address the excesses in the Thai prison: overcrowding, extremely spartan conditions - to put it mildly - that go beyond rural life, and other not-so-nice things that sometimes prevent. Something can and must be done about these things if we want to improve society. Unless Thailand would one day decide democratically that all this is nonsense and a prisoner is worth even less than an animal and can say the various treaties without batting an eyelid instead of signing them but not complying with them… or??
@Ruud
Thank you for your contribution based on practical situations. That is something different from writing a whole story, based on articles of which it is not clear how and why they came about. I see your practical examples as a nuance of the posted article.
The prison system in Thailand is not exactly welcoming, thankfully. A bit different from the luxurious life in the Dutch prison system. In the Netherlands there seem to be people who deliberately let themselves be arrested and then enjoy a free period in prison. Accommodation, food, drink and leisure guaranteed.
I see that people in Thailand don't act easily.
Dear Leo.
Picked up on purpose? A judge must be involved in the punishment.
I will also give you a warning. If your neighbor offers you a ride to Udon, and you are pulled over and the police find drugs in the car, you will also go to jail. Maybe you get four years. If you confess, the sentence will be halved. That's why the police ask you to confess.
My response was also meant to be nuanced.
Just like there are good and bad hotels, there are good and bad prisons, good and bad immigration offices and good and bad so many things.
Of course there are prisons with power-hungry guards and sadists, all depending on how they are run.
But the fact that the visit to the prison is well organized in the prison itself and via line indicates that the government considers it important that family ties continue to exist and that a prisoner is not thrown into a dark cell, after 10 years is taken out and put out on the street.
The purpose of the prisons is not only to lock people up, but also to encourage the prisoners to adjust their social behavior, for example by shortening the sentence for good behavior.
And by providing training and allowing the prisoners to work, they also improve the prisoners' chances of becoming a useful member of society and being able to take care of themselves.
A while back there was an article on Thaivisa about a boy who went to the police station with 1 pill of amphetamine to turn himself in.
He had no money and he would be fed in prison.
Another example leo bossink:
You risk 3 to 15 years กินข้าวแดง (water and bread) per charge if you express a desire to the Thai and/or German government to enforce the (constitution) law against a certain person.
It's not good in the regular prisons in Thailand and I think the neighboring countries are just as bad.
But isn't there a special prison for convicted authorities in Thailand? I've read about that. Should they also sleep next to the hole in the ground with other people's intestinal contents?
It is clear that the budget is too low. But there too people are very careful with it as if it is an honor to work as cheaply as possible. For example, a long time ago a prison director boasted in the press that he had the lowest cost of paracetamol per prisoner of all prisons in Thailand! Yes, indeed, something to be proud of!
It was once suggested to introduce the ankle bracelet with home arrest in Thailand for light sentences of up to x years. Never heard of it again, by the way.
Good question, will (former) authorities from good families and good contacts also be thrown into a cage with 40 others? M curious. I do know that someone like a former minister Suthep (instigator of the unrest and riots in 2013-2014) was held in custody for 3 nights and 'in the hectic' people 'forgot' to give him and some companions the short milliliter haircut, the director of the prison told the press. The student protest leaders who have now been arrested several times have been cut and shaved within hours. So how equal is the treatment…??
Equivalence in Thailand does not exist. You can talk long or short about that, but it is the way it is and Bv.Thaksin and Yingluck just show that it is the way to save their own ass, but in the meantime the tires at a high level remain warm.
Thailand has always been a charade country for many and will continue to be for decades to come so this kind of talk will always go on.
Regarding the prison, you have to make it very furry if you want to get in and yes then it helps to have contacts. In NL you have the old boys networks to stay on top and in TH the family networks to make something of it in general and that is not even something for the well-to-do citizen but also the lower social status holders.
Why doesn't Khaosod interview red shirt leaders like Jatuporn and Nattawut (both of whom have spent considerable time in prison anyway; or Kuhn Chuwit) about the horrors of Thai prisons? Why are there only sources of 'common' criminals?
Or do these gentlemen hold back because it turns out that they lived in a nice house on the prison grounds with all kinds of privileges; and that they are therefore hypocritical in their empathy for the common people?
Indeed, the prisons here are not known as luxury hotels like in the Netherlands, where prisoners have a better life than old people in a nursing home.
Everyone knows that. Unfortunately, it has little influence on the behavior of the people outside.
Geert, an average luxury hotel comes with a bath, sauna, bubble bath and lavish dinners, etc. The Dutch prisons are more of a hostel or budget hotel if I look at it that way. There are reasons for this, however: the idea is to preserve people's human value and that with a life that goes a little towards 'normal life outside', that people will find their place in society more easily when they are released . The reasoning is that confinement and closure of all kinds of pleasures is already a hefty punishment. In the countries to the north of the Netherlands, this is going even further. Think of a prison that operates more like a large campus and the prisoners can freely cycle around the grounds and have their own bungalow as a cell.
However, in the 'developed west' there are also differences in approach and conditions behind bars. Compare the American prison to Scandinavian:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNhlXUBNJPE
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNpehw-Yjvs
The Thai prison is more like the American one. What do you think is better or fairer?
The fact that the conditions behind bars have little influence on people's behavior outside has also been studied: stricter punishments, long, longer periods of incarceration, etc. do not or hardly help to deter people. The person who commits a violent crime, robs an empty account or the like is not concerned with this at the time of their act. Then I would rather go for a prison with sufficient space, decent rest, food and drink and guidance back into society (little tree animal) so that crime out of 'necessity' or 'socio-economic circumstances' is no longer necessary. That makes a big difference in reducing the crime figures. The end goal for me is a safer society. And whoever goes wrong deserves at least a certain minimum level of humane treatment. Thailand is still seriously lacking in this with number 1 problem: too many prisoners with too little decent cell space. That can and should be done differently, I think.
As usual with this kind of research, only the negative aspects are brought out. And I also want to say, is that luxury that we have in prison in the Netherlands good?
Any idea how many Dutch people are in Thai prisons?
That changes every year and I don't know the exact numbers at the moment. But it fluctuates somewhere between 5 and 10. Almost all drug related.
And for all foreigners this quote:
Foreigners accounted for 4.6 percent of the prison population in September 2016.] As of January 2020 14,275 foreign inmates from 103 countries were held in Thai prisons.
More than 14.000 foreigners in Thai prisons.
This article is inappropriate and I will also explain why.
The politics and policies of a country should be determined and influenced solely by the citizens of that country. Foreigners are not citizens of any country; even though they may have lived there for a long time.
Articles like this can irritate the authorities and that doesn't help anyone.
You can discuss almost anything in private or at the bar, but not in a public forum.
Hi Ted. Nice of you to share your opinion. Unfortunately I have to throw your opinion in the trash. As a foreigner you say that you do not want to interfere in our policy. Given that opinion about our policy, you already go against what you preach. But of course that's not the reason.
As a Thai, I'm fine with people expressing their opinions. However, the intolerance of the open discussion that you advocate here is not one of them. In philosophy this is the well-known 'tolerance of intolerance' debate (paradox of tolerance). Unfortunately, it turns out that the intolerant opinion you advocate does not fit into a tolerant society or discussion. Although you probably don't have that intention, it is useful to read up on the philosophical discussions of the last century. After that you can better engage in the debate without having to replay all the fallacies that have been amply covered.
Dear Ted, if you follow the news of recent times in Thailand, that is exactly where the shoe pinches, many very many citizens want things to change, but the authorities seem to be completely deaf to it.
So it is good that attention is being paid to this.
Ted.
Have you ever heard that news should and can be accessible to everyone, so also via this blog. And to give you an idea of what it's like in prison in Thailand, you don't have to believe everything, but 70% is bad enough. Or do you also sleep with more than 40 people in a room and you can enjoy when someone empties their bowels or bladder. And that articles like this would arouse the irritation of the authorities. Goes very far. But Ted if you agree and want to talk about this at the bar good luck. Fortunately, there are Forum members who want to know this and let it be a warning, because there is a Forum for that
Sietse
Behind it should be a warning to stay far away from it.
Foreigners are allowed to have a say in a prison that they themselves end up in with a bit of bad luck.
'Authorities' around the world applaud your call not to criticize them!
maybe an idea not to go there. You don't have to be in that misery either. Because usually there is a reason you are there .
It's high time that everything that has to do with drugs was decriminalized. Drugs are a public health problem, not a justice problem. Until less than a century ago, drugs were everywhere. Dubious decisions and pressure from the Alcohol lobby had to clear them all.
By the way what is the difference with Alcohol and Tobacco ?? Alcohol consumption causes more than 3 million deaths every year. A hypocritical lot that corrupt governments eagerly use to get rid of people who get in the way for life.
Repression has not helped curb drug use one meter. In Thailand, too, there is eager dealing and use despite the severe reprisals.
Beats. Around the high school my son attended in Chiang Mai, กัญชา (kanchaa) cannabis vendors were dealing daily. I regularly found bags of that stuff in my house. He and his friends didn't know where it came from (:
In the Thai-language media you can find similar descriptions and criticism about the situation in the prisons. Take a Prachatai (Thai) or Thai PBS. For example, Prachatai spoke to an ex (political) prisoner. He concludes his story with “when I got out the guards said I had better forget what had happened behind the walls. (…) But one guard told me 'Pon, when you get out, tell the people about the inhumane conditions that are happening here. I'm almost retiring so I don't care if they transfer me”.
Thai PBS and a view into บางขวาง (Baang Kwaang) prison in Bangkok (multi-part series):
- https://youtu.be/uJouGHjwaXg?t=826
- https://youtu.be/lnoEZ53IiDs?t=335
- ...
So Thai PBS has a whole series about prison life. In another episode you see a prisoner making a guitar, just to name a few. And for the enthusiast, channels such as Thai Rath also have a 4-part series of a prison in หนองคาย (Nong Khaai). Simply Google words like ชีวิตในคุก (prison life) or คนคุก (prisoners). Of course with the caveat that the staff naturally has an interest in showing a positive image.
Even if you don't understand a word of Thai, it still gives you a glimpse behind the scenes. The Thai comments under the video are also worth reading ("how cruel, even worse than I thought", "the guards sometimes deal drugs", "they owe them to themselves", "not everyone there is a bad person" etc .
Video material about Thai prisons can of course also be found in English. Think of interviews with detainees. The picture that emerges is often not so pretty.
- https://prachatai.com/english/node/6353
Dear people, I have long visited people in prisons and my experience is that you can experience life in prisons in its entirety? Be a hell for the people who stay there. And that the report is not outdated or exaggerated at all. Of course there are differences in the various prisons, but not to the extent that you say that is a real improvement. it comes down to it. But this is Thailand and they do not wish to turn it into a 4 * hotel like many in the Netherlands. Just as there are differences in the various parts and almost nothing is the same. Is that also the case in prison life? You have no say. it is often really a hell on earth for Europeans. Especially sleeping on a concrete floor and far too little space, Sincerely,
Thailand John.