With thousands of inmates infected with Covid-19 at several Thailand prisons, the Department of Corrections is now tackling its longstanding problem at prisons… overcrowding.
There’s now talk within the department of possibly granting some prisoners parole, or at least reducing their sentences as a short-term measure to reduce the overcrowding. Others in court detention, while awaiting trial, might be released on bail. Previous reports also said around 50,000 inmates incarcerated for minor drug charges might soon be released on house arrest and monitored with an electronic tracking bracelet.
To release inmates on special parole or to reduce their sentences, rules need to be amended, according to the department’s director general Aryut Sinthopphan. The rules on parole and sentence reduction are primarily for elderly inmates, or prisoners who are chronically ill.
So far, more…
