In 1972, the Interior Ministry issued orders establishing the prison on Mahachai Road to be "Bangkok Remand Prison" and the prison on Lad-yao Sub-district to be " Klong-prem Central Prison". Within the perimeter, the other adjacent facilities sharing the same wall with Klong-prem Central Prison are " Central Correction Institution for Drug Addicts" and " Central Correctional Hospital".

Klong-prem Central Prison, or generally called Lad-yao prison, is a high-security prison in Bangkok, taking in custody of male offenders whose sentence term is not over 25 years. With its general capacity to incarcerate 4,984 offenders, the prison currently takes in custody of 4,965 offenders, both Thai and foreign nationals. (as of January 2005). Thanks to its location in Bangkok, foreign prisoners are some times transferred from up-country to Klong-prem Central Prison to enable visiting access from their embassy representatives. Treatment programs provided to the inmates comprise of education at every level, various types of vocational training, sport, and recreation. Newly established in the prison is a "Knowledge Center", where inmates can get access to library, studying corners, computer training programs, and other productive activities.

PRISON ADDRESS
Klong Prem Men's Prison - 33/2 Ngam Wong Wan Road, Bangkok 10900 Thailand

Prisoner Access
ONLY FAMILY IS PERMITTED ACCESS TO PRISONERS UNLESS SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE WITH PRISON AUTHORITIES.

To access information about a prisoner you must be a close relative of the prisoner. You must have official identification proving who you are and your relationship to the prisoner. Officials requiring information must have an appropriate request, identifying clearly the person who will collect the information. The Information Centre will then process the request. Only non-classified information shall be given out. No sensitive information will be released.

Visiting Times
Klong Prem Central Prison allows the family of inmates to visit according to the following day and time schedule. The building the prisoner is being held in determines which days he can have visits. From 9am to 3pm Monday to Friday as follows :

If any visit day falls on a holiday, it is postponed to the next day. Prisoners who are being punished for bad behavior will not be allowed to have visits until the punishment is complete.

Visit Regulations
All visitors must comply with the followed regulations :

• Visitors must polite
• Male visitors must wear long trousers and females may wear skirts not shorter than knee length
• Visitors must not be drunk
• Visitors must not bring prohibited material into the prison
• Visitors must show some official form of identification and be processed accordingly
• Visitors must collect a visit card and wait for their visit round

Prohibited Visitors
No visit will be granted to anyone who falls under any of the following:

• The Authorities have reason to believe that if permission to visit (or contact) the prisoner is given, it may cause an incident.
• The person is dressed inappropriately, unusually or who is not clean and tidy.
• They have no connection with the prisoner or if they are not related.
• If they display bad manners or disrespect the authorities in any way
• If they are ex-prisoners, released less than six months previously.
• The prison officials have a legal right to refuse entry to, or remove from the premises, any person who does not have permission to visit or contact a prisoner or those who have permission but break the rules.

Depositing Money for Prisoners
CHECK WITH THE PRISONER FIRST BEFORE PROVIDING ANY FINANCIAL SUPPORT as from time to time the system changes. Prisoners may not have cash but money can be deposited to their prison account. With this account, the prisoner can order certain approved items. Deposits may be made in the following ways:

Cash : To deposit cash the visitor must deposit money with the officer assigned this particular duty. This officer can be found in the deposit room in the administration building. The officer will issue the depositor a receipt, which should be checked by the depositor. Please do not leave money with any other officer as the prison will not be held responsible for this money. Any prisoner caught trying to smuggle cash into the prison will be punished according paragraph 45 of the Correction Department Act of 1936.

Money orders : Please address money orders to the prisoner, including their full name, their building and ask the money to be paid via the Jatujuck or Ngarmwongwan road post office. All money orders should be in Thai Baht [local currency]. People may send money orders through the post but these must also be in Thai baht and should be addressed clearly to the prisoner. Sending money orders via the post is at the sender's risk. The prison authorities will not be responsible for any loss.

Prisoners are very poorly fed, by Western standards, and they need to supplement the food as much as possible. Prisoners with money do help others less fortunate, by paying them small sums to carry out tasks for them, for example cooking, washing and guarding belongings.

Parcels and Care Packages to Klong Prem Prisoners
As at 1 July 2008, the Corrections Department has decided to ban gifts delivered in person or by mail to inmates in its latest bid to counter the drugs trade in prisons. The move comes after corrections officials found drugs in toothpaste, curry and even dead toads thrown over prison walls. Department chief Wanchai Rujanawong said drug trafficking into jails had become more elaborate, but each prison had only two staff to screen gifts.

Since early this year [2008], corrections staff have intercepted drugs stuffed in basic necessities, such as toothpaste and baby powder, sent to prisoners. Drugs were also found hidden inside thaepoh pork curry (speed pills hidden in straws inserted inside the morning glory stalks) and inside fried eggs. Some people even removed the insides from dead toads, replaced the organs with packets of methamphetamine, and then tossed them over the prison walls.Therefore, gifts and postal packages will no longer be allowed.

Basic necessities will be available at reasonable prices at prison shops, for both inmates and their relatives to buy. Only in emergency cases would prison chiefs decide to accept packages, for example those containing medicine.

Thailand's 30 prisons now house about 170,000 prisoners, 90,000 of which are serving time for drug offences. Five major prisons - Bang Kwang, Khlong Prem, Khao Bin, Central Prison and Khlong Phai - each with about 5,000 inmates, each admit 300 to 500 visitors daily. Apart from screening staff, the department has conducted random searches at prisons, finding drugs once or twice a month.

IF YOU WISH TO SUPPORT A PRISONER THEN PLEASE WRITE TO THEM FIRST. REMEMBER TO PROTECT THE INTEGRITY OF YOUR SUPPORT AT ALL TIMES!

Prohibited Articles
The following items are prohibited. Any person found in possession of any of the following by a prison official, will be prosecuted under the Correction Department Act of 1936 which could include imprisonment:

• Opuim, Heroin, Hash, and addictive drug or intoxicating substance.
• Whiskey or any form of alcohol.
• Any gambling equipment.
• Escape equipment.
• Weapons.
• Poison or any rotted food.
• Explosives.
• Any communications equipment.

Contact Visit Regulations
The Corrections Department organises contact visits at certaim times of the year allowing well behaved prisoners to have contact with their family inside the prison. Prisoners have the opportunity to have lunch with their relatives. This contact is allowed in the hope that it will improve relations between the prisoner and their family. Helping the prisoner reintegrate into society, contact visits are granted twice a year.

Qualification Requirements for Contact Visits
The Correction Department will set a list of requirements regarding who may apply for contact visits before each contact visit period. Generally these requirements will be along the following lines:

1. Prisoners with a 'middle' behaviour classification will be allowed one visit. The following conditions apply,
• The prisoners must have a sentence of not more than 10 years.
• Prisoners must be imprisoned for a first offence only and have one case only.
• Prisoner must never have had any disciplinary action or be under consideration of disciplinary action.
• Prisoners must have shown himself to be trustworthy.
2. Prisoners with a 'good' behaviour classification will be permitted to have not more than two contact visit and the following conditions apply,
• Prisoner must have had no disciplinary action since the previous contact visit.
• Prisoner must not be under investigation or consideration for any disciplinary action.
3. Foreign prisoners who are not being disciplined or considered for disciplinary action will be permitted to have two visits. Visitors must apply for permission to visit though their Embassy consular department. The following conditions apply:
• Relatives of the prisoner who have traveled a long way will be granted two visits.
• Embassy officers or Consular staff will be permitted as required.
• Volunteers, missionaries. Persons visiting on behalf of the family or any one-relative will be granted on visit.
• Visitor requirements and qualifications for relative status

Persons who qualify for status as a relative, must consider the following:

• Visitors must be a relative of the prisoner, such as; Grandfather, Grandmother, Father, Mother, Brother, Sister, Uncle or Aunt. Prisoner's Wives are included, as are the relatives of the prisoner's wife. Persons under the age of 15 years must be the prisoner's children or the prisoner's adopted children.
• In cases where the prisoner has no relation visiting, the Director of the prison will consider other people on a case by case basis.
• Not more than 10 relatives may visit a prisoner at a time.
• All relatives must show some from of official identification.

Dates and Times for Contact Visits
The prison will announce and set dates for contact visits. Prisoner will be informed and the names of those prisoners who qualify for visits will be displayed. Relatives can check the list of names and then apply for contact visits. Visit times will be set at two hours per visit, twice a day.

Klong Prem Hospital
The Hospital at Klong Prem is very convenient to visit. Some English is spoken and the staff are helpful filling in the necessary forms. The hospital entrance is between Lad Yao Prison and Special (Remand) prison on the Klongprem complex. You can visit Monday to Friday (except Buddhist Holidays) and visits last 20 minutes, you need to register between 8.30am and 11.30am and 12.30pm and 2pm approximately, and it takes about 30 minutes for the prisoner to appear. There is no shop or means of making purchases for hospital patients, but they can order goods from the local shopping mall. Money (any amount) is appreciated. This can be deposited to the prisoners account by seeing officers in the visits area and they will issue a receipt.

Klong Prem Prison Library
The library at Klongprem is up and running, stocked mainly with Thai Language books. English language books are not easily available and some buildings have their own small collections, and books left at the Foreign Visits Section take ages to filter through the censoring process. It is best to identify the person currently in charge of the English Language books in a specific Building so that books can be passed inside more quickly.

Entertainment
Prisoners are always in need of even the smallest donation of sporting goods to help pass the time, and these can be obtained very cheaply by visitors, at Lotus or Central Department stores eg, tennis balls, soccer balls, even boxing gloves and pads. These can be parceled and sent in to Bangkwang and Klongprem (use EMS post at the Post Office) from Bangkok, or left at the Visits Section.

(Klongprem has annual soccer tournaments and soccer is very popular with the inmates and officers!).

For Further information:
Department of corrections
222 Nonthaburi 1 Road
Nonthaburi Province 11000
Webmaster@correct.go.th