PHUKET'S PRISON is full and conditions are becoming increasingly difficult for inmates and jailers. The issue is so pressing that the commander has written a letter to the Phuket's governor, asking for help.
He says the Songkran Festival usually brings the year's peak number of arrests for driving offences and drunkenness, and the jail may struggle to cope as celebrations on Phuket reach their peak next week.
Governor Wichai Praisa-ngob will have to ponder what to do next. If Phuket Prison Commander Paisan Suwanraksa is troubled by conditions on the inside, then it's certain that the risks of disease and health issues have been greatly increased.
The figures are shocking. Phuket Prison was built decades ago on six rai to hold 863 prisoners, male and female. But the present total is 1271.
Phuketwan recently spoke to one freed expat inmate who was appalled by what he saw inside the jail. Innocent people yet to have their court cases heard share the space with hardened criminals.
He said some prisoners bore the obvious marks of skin conditions, yet there was no way of isolating them from other prisoners.
Reports from other freed inmates indicate that despite the best intentions of the staff, the pressure on accommodation means the healthy ones are constantly being put at risk of infection.
There is no plan for a replacement jail or an expansion of Phuket's current facilities. There is provision for 708 males, but at present there are 1007 male prisoners. A large proportion of katoey ladyboys share the crowded dormitory cells.
Space is no greater for the women. There is provision for 165 female prisoners, yet the jail currently holds 274.
About 40 percent of all inmates are being held for drug-related crimes.
Phuket Prison is a medium-scale jail, and it accommodates prisoners with sentences up to 18 years. Those who earn longer terms are incarcerated in high-security facilities in other provinces.
The innovative mediation process, recently introduced to Phuket's courts and police stations, has helped to resolve some cases. But the growing number of arrests and convictions for drug offences especially, which are regarded with great seriousness, has tipped numbers of inmates well over capacity.
About 30 expats are in the jail, and two of them were recently accused of extorting 50,000 baht from a new prisoner. Conditions, Phuketwan was told last year by an expat who spent three weeks inside the jail, are sordid in every respect.
While prisoner numbers have increased dramatically, the number of jailers remains unchanged.
There is a library, and space to exercise. Jailers and local health authorities are constantly trying to maintain order and general well-being.
But the huge dormitory cells and conditions in them are said to be alarming. Prisoners sleep in tight rows, with barely room to turn.
The prisoner who had 50,000 baht taken in the extortion was told he could be knifed to death at night, and that he should make sure he slept on his back. Needless to say, he led a fraught existence on the inside and was delighted to eventually win bail.
Yesterday evening, police in Phuket City held a parade ground presentation to highlight their intention to reduce road fatalities and injuries during the week-long Songkran Festival, from April 12. It is a job that needs to be done.
Yet paradoxically, every arrest they make will worsen conditions at Phuket Prison.
A Trip Inside Phuket Prison: Photo SpecialHe says the Songkran Festival usually brings the year's peak number of arrests for driving offences and drunkenness, and the jail may struggle to cope as celebrations on Phuket reach their peak next week.
Governor Wichai Praisa-ngob will have to ponder what to do next. If Phuket Prison Commander Paisan Suwanraksa is troubled by conditions on the inside, then it's certain that the risks of disease and health issues have been greatly increased.
The figures are shocking. Phuket Prison was built decades ago on six rai to hold 863 prisoners, male and female. But the present total is 1271.
Phuketwan recently spoke to one freed expat inmate who was appalled by what he saw inside the jail. Innocent people yet to have their court cases heard share the space with hardened criminals.
He said some prisoners bore the obvious marks of skin conditions, yet there was no way of isolating them from other prisoners.
Reports from other freed inmates indicate that despite the best intentions of the staff, the pressure on accommodation means the healthy ones are constantly being put at risk of infection.
There is no plan for a replacement jail or an expansion of Phuket's current facilities. There is provision for 708 males, but at present there are 1007 male prisoners. A large proportion of katoey ladyboys share the crowded dormitory cells.
Space is no greater for the women. There is provision for 165 female prisoners, yet the jail currently holds 274.
About 40 percent of all inmates are being held for drug-related crimes.
Phuket Prison is a medium-scale jail, and it accommodates prisoners with sentences up to 18 years. Those who earn longer terms are incarcerated in high-security facilities in other provinces.
The innovative mediation process, recently introduced to Phuket's courts and police stations, has helped to resolve some cases. But the growing number of arrests and convictions for drug offences especially, which are regarded with great seriousness, has tipped numbers of inmates well over capacity.
About 30 expats are in the jail, and two of them were recently accused of extorting 50,000 baht from a new prisoner. Conditions, Phuketwan was told last year by an expat who spent three weeks inside the jail, are sordid in every respect.
While prisoner numbers have increased dramatically, the number of jailers remains unchanged.
There is a library, and space to exercise. Jailers and local health authorities are constantly trying to maintain order and general well-being.
But the huge dormitory cells and conditions in them are said to be alarming. Prisoners sleep in tight rows, with barely room to turn.
The prisoner who had 50,000 baht taken in the extortion was told he could be knifed to death at night, and that he should make sure he slept on his back. Needless to say, he led a fraught existence on the inside and was delighted to eventually win bail.
Yesterday evening, police in Phuket City held a parade ground presentation to highlight their intention to reduce road fatalities and injuries during the week-long Songkran Festival, from April 12. It is a job that needs to be done.
Yet paradoxically, every arrest they make will worsen conditions at Phuket Prison.
Phuket Prison is not the place people want to go but a trip inside reveals a few surprises and a glimpse of life there. Phuketwan was allowed to take photographs
A Trip Inside Phuket Prison: Photo Special
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The evolutionary state of a society can be gauged by the way it treats its prisoners, minorities and the weak.
Posted by JailorMan on April 10, 2010 12:56