Rehabilitation for prisoners under sentence of death in a human rights perspective : a case study of Bangkhwang Central Prison

Abstract

Prisoners under sentence of death in Thailand usually wait approximately a decade for completion of legal process of their cases, before they become eligible for Royal Pardon. Thereupon, they are eventually released after an amount of time. This outcome and the long time involved makes rehabilitation a highly important issue. The research is concerned with the extent to which Thailand complies with international human rights standards on rehabilitation for prisoners under sentence of death. In particular, it examines the issue of rehabilitation for prisoners under sentence of death at Bang Khwang Central Prison, based on three significant themes, namely, living conditions, rehabilitation programs, and external support systems. The information was obtained through secondary information and field research before being analyzed according to the international human rights framework. The findings show that the rehabilitation for prisoners under sentence of death is unsatisfactory. There are human rights violations on all the three themes. The research further proposes improvements that should be made in order to meet the human rights standards. Prison authorities should treat prisoners under sentence of death with more respect and dignity.