Up to 10,000 inmates will be allowed to open bank accounts to receive money from relatives via e-banking or ATMs under a pilot project to ease curbs around their daily spending at prisons.
If the new method proves successful, several thousand more detainees at 143 prisons nationwide will follow suit and enjoy what Krungthai Bank (KTB) president Payong Srivanich calls "equality" in money management.
The scheme will also exclude wardens from financial affairs. Some wardens have been accused of siphoning money from some official amounts, tainting the reputation of prison management in Thailand.
Until now, wardens have been assigned to receive deposits from relatives of prisoners who need money to buy necessary items ranging from soap to snacks. However, this practice is viewed as inconvenient and vulnerable to abuse.
Corrections Department chief Naras Savestanan signed a deal Wednesday with state-owned KTB agreeing to cooperate on the issue.
Many convicts are jailed in Bangkok while their families live upcountry. That means they often must travel a long distance to physically hand over the cash to wardens.
By law, a maximum of 9,000 baht a month can be deposited in this manner. The per diem allowance is capped at 300 baht.
Not only do inmates have to wait for their families' visits, but there have also been complaints of officials deducting "commissions". In one case, 500 baht of 3,000 baht was said to have been taken by the prison management.
Pol Col Naras said such accusations are groundless but admitted there may have been some "flaws" or delays before the money reaches the inmates.
He said bank accounts linked to internet-based transactions, or traditional money transfers via an ATM, would remove any unnecessary steps and ensure transparency.