(11 June) 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.
