Baby steps in jail reform

The government's move to ease overcrowding in prisons, albeit a long-overdue mission, is praiseworthy.

The cabinet has approved measures including the introduction of bunk beds in overcrowded cells. Initially, bunk beds will be installed in 94 out of 143 cells with a 207-million-baht budget.

The cabinet has also gave the green light for the procurement of 30,000 electronic monitoring (EM) bracelets for offenders on probation at a cost of 877 million baht.

In addition, the authorities are to step up efforts to amend laws to facilitate the transfer of foreign inmates back to their home countries.

The country houses some of the world's most crowded jails. A leaked photo on social media showing inmates lying next to one another on the floor without mattresses or pillows left the government red-faced.

There are 143 prisons in all with a combined sleeping space of 305,000 square metres to accommodate 254,000 inmates.

But prisons currently house 374,052 inmates.

The number falls below the standard sleeping space set by the United Nations at 1.2 square metres per male inmate and 1.1 square metres per female inmate.

A bad prison environment is one of the key factors that hinders the process of "returning decent people to society" -- the so-called "restorative justice" that attaches importance to prisoners' rehabilitation with the aim of making them ready for a new life after prison.

Among the measures, for example, is a well-designed vocational training programme that enables them to stand on their own feet. Counselling should also be provided to "heal" them mentally while work is needed to help eradicate the social stigma of them having served time.

The old belief that a jail must be tough and hard as a way to punish "bad people" must be demolished if the country wants to cut recidivism rates or repeat crimes.

On the contrary, those involved must push for good rehabilitation processes that require a big effort from those concerned.

Figures from the Correction Department show the country's recidivism rate in 2016 for ex-inmates three years after they were released is alarmingly high, at over 35%.

It is indisputable that overcrowding has forced authorities to accelerate the number of those being released on parole. But flaws in the screening, parole and probation system could make the problem worse.

The case in point is that of the serial rapist and killer, Somkid Pumpuang, who shocked the country after killing a woman in Khon Kaen in December last year.

The man, dubbed "Thailand's Jack the Ripper", was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2012 for raping and killing three women in 2005. He was released on parole in 2017 and shortly after being released offended again.

The gruesome murders raised a serious questions about the country's criminal justice system that allowed early release for an inmate who did not deserve it.

Somkid's latest crime has reignited calls for capital punishment, but that is not the right solution. Instead, the country needs to review the system, and tackle the problem systematically.

Providing bunk beds is just a start. More must be done to improve the country's criminal justice system such as making further improvements to the conditions in which inmates are held, and helping prepare them for life outside. The work requires cooperation and coordination from various agencies, not just those in the Justice Ministry.