The Department of Corrections has admitted for the first time that one of its female prison guards has been sacked and is facing criminal or disciplinary punishment for allegedly making money by allowing male inmates to have sex with women inmates behind bars.
The female guard is among 14 prison officers nationwide who have been fired by the department this year. The other officers sacked were involved in offences which included turning a blind eye to the smuggling of mobile phones and drugs into prisons and demanding bribes from families in exchange for permitting alcohol to be brought in for inmates.
Referring to the sacked female guard at the Chai Badan district prison, department director-general Naras Savestanan said the woman was found to have had financial trouble although it surprised the department that she resorted to this method to make money.
Fellow prison officers suspected she was up to something and checked records of CCTV footage, which became the key evidence. It is not known whether she had done this before," Pol Col Naras said. Despite claims by the guard that the male and female inmates were partners in civilian life, the practice was still unsound since it violates prison laws, he said. According to Pol Col Naras, the guard was found to have demanded 8, baht each from three male inmates for sex in the female detention facility's toilets with three inmates.
Of prisons nationwide, only eight have an all-female inmate population. Male inmates can sometimes enter the female zones for certain assignments, such as changing light bulbs or repairing items, but they must be accompanied by male guards, according to Pol Col Naras. Some even get married inside jail and celebrations are held for them," Pol Col Naras said.
