EDITORIAL-OPINION: Bangkok Post- Unburden deathtrap jails
The risk is obvious. There are 377,000 prisoners across the country jam-packed in prisons built to accommodate no more than 250,000 inmates. This overcrowding has resulted in each inmate having a space of less than one square metre in which to sleep.
With the Covid-19 outbreak, the chronic problem of overcrowded prisons has suddenly become an urgent one. In fact, it could very well turn into a deadly one if nothing is done.
So far, two prisoners have tested positive and they were separated from others. New prisoners are also being kept isolated. The Corrections Department is insisting that it has taken all necessary measures to keep the virus from spreading, including the implementation of a screening programme and suspending group activities including visits from relatives.
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Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin has also ordered a strict lockdown in all prisons, while preparing room for inmates who may need to be isolated and also putting other facilities in place to ensure inmates can maintain a certain distance from one another.
Yet, despite these measures, maintaining a two-metre distance remains an impossible task in an overcrowded environment. The numbers are overwhelming and no matter how hard the authorities try, there is simply no room for manoeuvre.
This is why a proposal from the Thailand Institute of Justice’s Executive Director Kittipong Kittayarak may be well worth considering. The idea may appear radical, even risky, but the Corrections Department does not have a better choice at the moment.
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After the riot at Buri Ram central prison caused by rumours of a Covid-19 outbreak, Mr Kittipong, former justice permanent secretary, suggested that some prisoners be released on bail, paroled or with a monitoring device to free up space in prison.
He said the first group would be some 72,000 prisoners who have less than a year left to serve. The second group is 67,000 people who are either on remand, in pre-trial detention or imprisoned because they cannot afford to pay fines.
The third group for parole will comprise those who are most vulnerable to Covid-19 — some 5,800 inmates who are above the age of 60, but are still serving their sentences. The last group is some 9,000 people who have been thrown in prison for petty crimes.
These groups put together will result in some 153,000 inmates being released, which should free up some space in prisons, Mr Kittipong said.
There is no doubt that releasing inmates before their time will raise questions about whether these ex-convicts will become a danger to society. It is a valid question. The Covid-19 outbreak has brought the economy to a standstill and has threatened to bankrupt many businesses. It is not easy to make an honest living right now, and it won’t be easy for former convicts to get by in this time of hardship.
The Corrections Department faces a stark choice and the situation is precarious. Just one or two Covid-19 infections can spread quickly in a crowded prison and will be difficult to contain.
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This is a scenario the department cannot allow to occur.
True the department has come up with measures to protect inmates, but it has not addressed the issue of overcrowding, which is fundamental to controlling the spread of the virus.
The department needs to address this problem before it gets out of hand, and paying heed to Mr Kittipong’s recommendations will be a good start.
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THE EDITOR
