The government is considering cutting its prison population by as much as 16% to counter the rapid spread of infections among inmates and workers in overcrowded facilities.
More than 10,000 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in about a dozen prisons. These latest clusters have pushed the country’s daily case count to record highs twice in the past week, including on Monday when more than two-thirds of the 9,635 infections were reported in prisons, official data showed.
The Justice Ministry is looking at a special early-release programme for about 50,000 inmates that could include the use of electronic-monitoring systems and adjustment of criteria.
However, Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said that the ministry’s current priority is to administer vaccines to inmates and correctional officers to cut infections. In the longer term, Thailand’s drug laws will be changed to allow shorter jail sentences for minor offenses and to focus more on rehabilitation, which will reduce overcrowding and reduce costs. (NNT)
