Prison infrastructure and corruption[edit]
Thailand has woefully inadequate prison infrastructure, as well as a lack of political will to deal with the exploding crime problem.[citation needed] In Rayong Central Prison, which was designed to house 3,000 inmates but holds 6,000, improvised rocket canisters were used to relay goods from the outside world over the top of walls into the prison.[2] Mail sent to prisoners contained items such as mobile phones used to coordinate and organize crime outside of the prison.[39] This situation is not unique to Rayong Prison, and is commonplace throughout Thailand.[40]
Corrupt prison officials add to the issues of dealing with escalating crime.[40] In one case, a prison nurse was caught dealing drugs.[41] In a sting operation some 28 prison wardens were found to be smuggling drugs.[42] Authorities are so corrupt or incompetent that females were found in one male cell feeding five babies.[43]Thai authorities have responded by installing mobile phone jamming equipment, but these jammers has been proven to offer a false sense of security, as a wall crack was used to store phones where the jammers could not penetrate.[44] Other initiatives include x-ray scanners,[2] and installing CCTV equipment. A new super-max prison is in the planning stages.