Questions/Answers

Vocational training is a strategy of Thailand’s Department of Corrections to provide prisoners with meaningful activities behind bars. The vocational training can enhance prisoners’ skills and knowledge which could be applied to earn their lives after release. However, in the past the released prisoners found it difficult to gain employment due to various factors, especially the lack of social acceptance which created social inequality and became a significant trauma suffered by released prisoners. Thus, ex-prisoners could not seek employment and later lead to recidivism. Recently, there has been a paradigm shift in rehabilitation and vocational training by focusing on the social acceptance of released prisoners. The innovative idea is to offer opportunity for external partners in different sectors to participate in the vocational training programs in all processes. Under this concept, instead of running only in prison - based training, prison authority can send prisoners outside for receiving training in many work skills, such as welding, carpentry, electrical and vehicle repairs in the private enterprises where prisoners can learn to work in the real workplace. This initiative can increase employment opportunity upon release for prisoners who will be included as members of society and will not be left behind again.

‘Preparedness for Successful Social Acceptance and Reintegration of Prisoners by Developing Participatory Process of Collaborative Partnership’ is linked with the category and evaluation criteria of ‘Delivering inclusive and equitable services to leave no one behind’ because prisoners are usually stigmatized and ignored by Thai society. After release, some prisoners could not have successful reintegration by becoming recidivists due to the lack of social acceptance. This initiative helps prisoners start their second lives by giving them opportunity to be vocationally trained outside of prison in the private enterprises and gain employment upon release. Therefore, prisoners will not be socially excluded again.

‘Preparedness for Successful Social Acceptance and Reintegration of Prisoners by Developing Participatory Process of Collaborative Partnership’ is contributing to the implementation of the 2030 agenda as follows: 1) Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth as the initiative highlights the employment opportunity of prisoners 2) Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities because this project facilitates the successful social reintegration of prisoners. 3) Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions as this scheme promotes safety and peace of society by reducing recidivists. 4) Goal 17: Partnerships for the goals because it encourages all sectors to become collaborative partnerships in helping prisoners.

The initiative has positive impact on a group of prisoners within the context of Thai society on the grounds that they are usually stigmatized and socially excluded for a long time. In the past two decades, Thailand has seriously encountered prison overcrowding crisis causing various problems, i.e. insufficient budget and resources, ineffective rehabilitation programs, shortage of staff and so on. Most importantly, some ex-prisoners returned to commit crimes, emphasizing the fact that the social reintegration is not successful. This initiative on sending prisoners to be vocationally trained in private enterprises could lessen the difficulties of Department of Corrections by engaging external partners to support extra resources and deliver more effective rehabilitation programs. Besides, the overcrowded space behind bars could be better managed when some prisoners are sent to a private company outside of prison for vocational training. Additionally, prisoners participating in such project are likely to have successful social reintegration as they are equipped with work skills and gain employment after release. On top of that, ex-prisoners will be better accepted by local community and private enterprises as decent citizens and valuable human resource. As an end result, Thai society at large will be safer from crimes committed by recidivists.

This initiative is innovative because of these major reasons: 1) it opens up opportunity for all external agencies to become collaborative partnerships in providing prisoners with rehabilitation program starting from planning, designing the program, testing prisoners’ work skills received from such vocational training, to offering them a job after release. 2) it represents a paradigm shift of Thailand’s Department of Corrections in the way all parties are encouraged to engage in the processes of rehabilitation and social reintegration. Most importantly, it highlights the significance of society to change perspective on released prisoners as a valuable human capital and useful asset.

This innovation is original. It was developed from the lessons learned that rehabilitation and social reintegration of prisoners could not succeed solely by Department of Corrections. The social acceptance and the involvement of external factors as well as community are the keys to make a difference. The new idea highlights the fact that the prisoners will not be in with a chance of returning to normal lives if the society still stigmatizes them. When private enterprises and other partnerships have engaged in the vocational training program, they could acknowledge prisoners as a human capital that should not be left behind.

After the initiative was launched in October 2015 as pilot project at Chachoengsao Central Prison in Chachoengsao Province, the similar scheme has been further conducted in other 38 prisons nationwide under collaborative partnerships with 48 private enterprises. Besides, the knowledge, experiences and best practices regarding the work skills required, legal framework, operating procedures, and major benefits of this project have been transferred across these 4 groups: executives of private enterprises and prison administrators; private enterprise personnel and prison staff; executives of Department of Corrections, prison staff and private enterprise personnel; and finally prison administrators, people in society and prisoners’ families.

To implement this initiative, the Department of Corrections and prisons have used these following resources: 1) human resource which refers to the executives of Department of Corrections and prison administrators, prison staff, and private enterprise personnel 2) financial resource which covers budget and expenses arisen from running vocational training program outside of prison. However, this part tends to be supported by private enterprises and external partners. 3) tools and equipment which include all materials, machine and devices for running vocational training programs for prisoners in the private enterprises. These are also usually provided by such business companies.

This initiative is sustainable in the sense that it causes no damage to environment and therefore able to continue over a period of time. In terms of social aspect, providing prisoners with opportunity to be included in a society by equipping them with work skills and facilitating the successful social reintegration are indeed a sustainable development of human resource, and best of all the society can be safer and protected from crimes. Regarding economic aspect, the well trained prisoners are recognized as valuable personnel of the private enterprises offering the vocational training programs. With talents and work skills, such prisoners can become a part of mechanism for developing economic system of the country. According to the feedbacks from private sector, these well trained prisoners can help some industrial companies reduce total number of defective products because they tend to have strong discipline and focus on their assigned jobs. As a consequence, from the environmental and economic aspects, it can save production cost of private companies as well as cut down on industrial or factory waste. On top of that, this initiative can sustainably support the government policy on promotion for free labor mobility across ASEAN member countries in the future.

Yes

This initiative has been officially evaluated by Thailand’s Department of Corrections in 2018 under these following evaluation frameworks: 1) achievement and results of project which focused on the success, obstacles, benefits for all parties, and possibility to extend such project in other prisons. 2) customer satisfaction which sought private enterprises’ opinions about work performance of prisoners, facilitation of prison staff and other issues. 3) satisfaction of people in society which assessed pleasant and unpleasant feelings of people regarding this project. Moreover, the perspectives upon released prisoners having good jobs and talented skills were also added to reflect the social acceptance.

Twelve indicators were used: 1) achievement level in sending prisoners to be trained in private enterprises; 2) percentage of worthiness; 3) percentage of customer satisfaction; 4) percentage of satisfaction of determination and discipline of prisoners; 5) percentage of satisfaction of service quality and facilitation of prison; 6) percentage of satisfaction of prisoners trained outside of prison; 7) percentage of local people’s satisfaction; 8) percentage of local people accepting ex-prisoners; 9) number of companies becoming partners; 10) number of trained prisoners passing the national skill standard test; 11) number of ex-prisoners still working in companies; 12) number of trained prisoners reoffending.

The outcomes of evaluation were as follows: 1) owners of private enterprises were highly interested in joining the project; 2) prisoners were well accepted by private enterprises due to their discipline, work performance and determination; 3) private enterprises were willing to offer training to more prisoners; 4) resources were used worthily; 5) most of local people were satisfied with the initiative and reflected positive opinions on ex-prisoners; 6) private enterprises were satisfied with service quality and the facilitation of prison; 7) 100 per cent of trained prisoners passing the national skill standard test; 8) all trained prisoners did not reoffend.

The stakeholders in this initiative are composed of many agencies. Apart from Department of Corrections and prisons nationwide which totally engage in all processes, the private enterprises offering prisoners vocational training in their facilities also take part in at the first stage. The governors of all provinces involve in by providing prison administrators with opportunity to promote this collaborative scheme during the important meetings of the provinces so that interested external agencies could contact prisons for further cooperation. In implementing the project, the private enterprises and prison authority collaborate closely to run the vocational training program outside of prison by focusing on meaningful work skills prisoners shall receive. In every program, 20 prisoners are accompanied by 1 prison staff in private enterprise and under supervision of company personnel. The executives of Ministry of Justice, DOC and prison administrators might visit the workplace to monitor the training and collect feedbacks from them. After release, NGOs also play role in providing financial assistance, while DOC, Department of Probation, and community leaders are involved in follow-up process to check recidivism and social acceptance. To conclude, this project emphasizes the engagement of all parties to make contribution to the sustainable development in the country.

The key lessons learned are that, firstly, many private enterprises are willing to help prisoners by equipping them with work skills to increase their employment opportunity upon release. Further, Thai society tends to positively welcome and accept released prisoners who have job and work skills. Third, prisoners are valuable human resource that can satisfy the expectation of private enterprises running the vocational training programs. Finally, the engagement of external partnerships is crucial factor for the successful rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners. To further improve this initiative, the partnership with agricultural sector will be included to widen job opportunity of prisoners.