Exploration of Demographics among Incarcerated Women in Thailand

The number of female prisoners is increasing worldwide. In November 2009 the Thai government developed a set of 70 rules addressing the specific needs of women in the criminal justice system. This included rules relating to the treatment of female prisoners. Many of the issues addressed within this context became the foundation for the United Nations Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-Custodial Measures for Women Offenders “Bangkok Rules” which was adopted by the UN in December 2010. These landmark agreements were the result of many individuals and organizations efforts to improve the penal system and its’ treatment of female offenders. Furthering on these developments, this paper summarizes an exploratory research survey carried out at 4 female prisons in Thailand as well as the results of a survey distributed by the Ministry of Justice to women’s prisons in Thailand. This is a socio-demographic investigation of the variables associated with female prisoners. Further comparative analysis of specific variables will be analyzed to identify meaningful correlations among variables. This paper will discuss some of the commonalities of global prison demographics and discuss some of the ethical issues involved with conducting research in a prison. There are no specific suggestions made for policy or budgetary actions.