B3.5bn "super max" prison planned

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B3.5bn "super max" prison planned

Published: 1/02/2012 at 06:01 PM
Online news: Security

The Corrections Department plans to seek about 3.5 billion baht from the 2013 budget to build a "super max" prison with hi-tech security systems for detaining major drug convicts, Thirachai Wuthitham said on Wednesday.

Mr Thirachai, secretary to the justice minister and spokesman for the Justice Ministry, announced the plan at a press conference along with Korbkiat Kasiwiwat, deputy director-general of the Corrections Department.

He said Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung and Justice Minister Pracha Promnok would on Friday, Feb 8, call a meeting of chiefs of 143 prisons and directors of narcotics suppression offices from throughout the country for a briefing on measures to prevent prisons from being used by inmates for drug dealings.

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coolit
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Discussion 9 : 02/02/2012 at 09:38 AM9
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Super Max Police State, tells you the mentality of this government and where they are headed, why not build more schools and create more opportunities for the people and go after the guilty ones who are behind this, but that would be like shooting ones self in the foot.
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flashflood
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Discussion 8 : 01/02/2012 at 10:58 PM8
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With 3.5 billion to throw around maybe they could build some more facilities to ease the chronic overcrowding in thai prisons and increase the daily budget per prisoner for food and water. Currently it stands at 33 baht per head.
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dao
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Discussion 7 : 01/02/2012 at 10:32 PM7
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Are the guards going to be super max corrupt .A facility is only as good as the people who run it .That applies to country as well .
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faranginkorat
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Discussion 6 : 01/02/2012 at 07:26 PM6
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Why spend that much money on a group of people who will never be released?
Waste em!
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thaijimm
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Discussion 5 : 01/02/2012 at 06:10 PM5
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I visited a now former employee that was incarcerated for a failed pee pee test at a police check point. A group of us went to Chonburi prison to visit. We could not bring anything for him, however we could deposit cash in a inmate account which could be spent at a prison canteen. When we spoke with him we were separated by a glass partition, and our desk was set back 2 yards from the glass. We talked over a telephone head set. There was no opportunity to pass anything to the prisoners. That is unless you have a government prison employee you know that is passing mobile phone, drugs etc to the inmates. All the phone jammers, locks and gates will do you no good unless you effectively monitor and prosecute dishonest prison employees. Sadly we know this won't happen any time soon, if at all.
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bkk-farang
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Discussion 4 : 01/02/2012 at 06:08 PM4
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Let’s see: PT was elected middle of last year and formed the government. After that Chalerm was put in charge of the police. He thought prisons are a high priority so he thought right away about which problems might exist and should be analyzed. He knew lots of prison experts and he formed a committee to analyze the problems in Thai prisons. The committee started right away and after only a few weeks in several prisons they found lots of problems. After a few more weeks the experts found also solutions to all these problems. The main solution was building a super max prison. Again Chalerm did not waste much time and asked construction and security experts to plan the prison and estimate the cost. They suggested 3.5 billion baht should be enough and because Chalerm is a careful and honest man he verified all the details and numbers before he presented them to his party and the public. That was really very efficient!
Or is it possible that Chalerm skipped one or two minor details before he suggested using billions of tax payer’s money to solve a problem with a technical solution which in reality is maybe more a problem concerning corrupt government employees than technology?
At least we all know already one wanted criminal who escaped Thai justice for years. Maybe the super max prison will be ready for him when he finally returns.
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koolbreez
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Discussion 3 : 01/02/2012 at 05:04 PM3
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This is a big smoke screen to spend money on an un-needed mega project. The same outcome can be acheived by blocking cell phone use at all prisons, and there should already be closed circuit TVs in all prisons.

The only reason to built a super secure prison is if there was escapes going on, but this isn't the case. The only change that should be made at ALL prisons is to block cell phone signals so NO outside dealings of any kind can be carried on, not just with drug dealing. There is also a need for anyone convicted of a crime of any kind to end carrying out whatever illegal business they were in. This stops the problem without spending billions of baht. A few million baht, and the problem is solved.
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pjt
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Discussion 2 : 01/02/2012 at 04:50 PM2
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So is there a mechanism to report offers of bribes and did Khun Korbiat use it? These prisoner officers on the drug trade suspect list - are they on warning or subject to special measures such as requirement for regular assets declarations/limitations on unaccompanied access to drug trade offenders?
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apex2000
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Discussion 1 : 01/02/2012 at 04:18 PM1
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"It was necessary to separate these convicts to prevent them continuing their drug dealing while in prison, he said." It seems that many of the problems are internal and involve officials - "Corrections Department had a list of officials who were suspected to have been involved in the drug trade in each prison and they were under close watch" - so some of the requested money should be used to eliminate any problem arising from bent officials. The detainees are imprisoned for a reason - they are dangerous to society - and officials whose task it is to monitor them should not benefit from drug dealing on the inside, nor should they facilitate it.
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B3.5bn "super max" prison planned | Bangkok Post: news