Prison chiefs face punishment if phones or drugs found in jails
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Justice Minister Paiboon Khumchaya has vowed to take action against prison chiefs if any banned items such as illicit drugs or mobile phones are found in their facilities.
Paiboon announced his tough stance yesterday.
“We won’t tolerate any presence of banned items,” he said, after giving his policies to the heads of 143 prisons across the country.
Paiboon said banned items would never find a way to enter correctional facilities if officials were strict enough.
“Before you enter such facilities, you are subject to a series of searches. So if officials implement measures required by their jobs, no banned items will be able to sneak in,” he said.
Paiboon is against the idea of buying cellular-signal jamming devices, describing it as something that would fail to tackle problems at their cause.
“All we need are officials who honestly carry out their duty,” he said.
Recent news reports suggest some inmates have managed to arrange drug deals via smuggled mobile phones.
Paiboon said he was aware that prisons faced a shortage of staff but he insisted that existing officials must do their best.
He said he was trying to seek better remuneration for officials working at high-security jails.
