Visiting Prisoners at Samut Prakan Prison

You can visit prisoners on Monday to Friday. The morning session is reserved for male prisoners. The afternoon for female prisoners. There are usually 13 rounds in the morning which last about 20 minutes. The first round is at 8.40 a.m. but you can come earlier to book your visit. On busy days they will start earlier and shorten the rounds to less than 15 minutes each. When you arrive, you should first get a queue number from the counter outside the office to your left. Then in the middle section of the waiting area there are two tables where you will find bilingual “request for visiting” forms. Fill these out as much as you can. Also write somewhere the nationality. Next, wait for your number to be called. Unfortunately, the electronic system is now broken so they will only call the numbers in Thai! You will need to keep an eye open to see the number of the person being served. Once it is your turn, he might ask to see your passport. So, be prepared. He will then write on your piece of paper three numbers. It might be something like 1/1 5. This means, Round 1, Room 1 and Cubicle 5. So, the first number is the round number. If you arrive at 8.15 a.m., you probably won’t be able to visit until at least Round 7. There are two rooms and 9 cubicles per room. So, only 18 prisoners are allowed out at once. There doesn’t seem to be a limit to number of visitors at one time. However, the prisoner is only allowed to come out once per day.

In the waiting area, they sometimes tune the television to one of the visiting rooms so that you can see what is going on. On the doorway to the visiting rooms there is a sign that tells you the number of the round at present. You won’t be allowed to take any bags past this doorway. If it is your round next,  you can ask the guard by the door for a locker key. Thai people give him their i.d. card in return for the blue tagged keyring.Your passport will probably work the same for you. As you face this door. The lockers are to the right next to the children’s play area. When you go in, you must make sure you are properly dressed. If you are male, then you should wear trousers and a shirt that covers your shoulders. women shouldn’t wear anything provocative as you will be refused entry. I have also seen the guards tell people to take off their caps. The following are the rules which are posted in Thai:

1. It is forbidden to use a mobile phone
2. It is forbidden to use a camera
3. It is forbidden to take a bag
4. It is forbidden to take any weapons
5. It is forbidden to take any pet animals
6. It is forbidden to take any food or drinks

At present they don’t search you but be prepared that this might happen. If you are carrying anything prohibited then that might shorten the length of your visit. I always turn off my mobile phone while visiting. You cannot also take any recording devices or laptops. It would seem that it is alright to show them pictures. It is actually impossible to pass them anything as there isn’t only a wire mesh, but also perspex glass. Unlike other prisons, you are sitting quite close with just a counter top between you. To communicate, you use a telephone. When you first go in, this might not be turned on. So, don’t panic as it might not necessarily mean your phone is broken. The length of visit is 20 minutes, but be prepared that on busy days they might cut short each visit. There is no warning for the end of each round. The phone line just goes dead. On the counter top, there is a ventilation grill, so it is possible to shout a few parting sentences. But, don’t delay leaving as you might not only cause a problem for the person you are visiting, but you are also delaying the start of the next round.

Video Conference:

If you don’t like the idea of waiting an hour or two for your turn, you can try the video conference. I do this for nearly every visit now since they stopped allowing you to book visits. Fill in the form as before. However, this time take it to the guy at the desk to the right. He is guarding the entrance to the visiting rooms. Make sure he understands you want video conference. They use the English word “conference” for this. If you look through the bars you should be able to make out the televisions at the far end. Almost straight away, he will go down to one of these televisions and speak on the microphone to someone on duty in the room inside the prison. Your friend will then be called. As he/she doesn’t have to get changed, they usually come quite quick. If you are lucky, you will only have to wait 10 minutes. These are not set by rounds and not many people use this service, so it is a lot quicker. They sometimes let you talk for longer than 20 minutes too if there is no-one waiting. Another advantage is that the line is not cut off suddenly. So, you have time to wrap things up and say goodbye properly.

Update: You are no longer allowed to book visits in advance.

HOW TO BUY FOOD FOR PRISONERS

Unlike other prisons, at Samut Prakan Central Prison you are not allowed to bring food or other items for prisoners. The only thing you can do is to buy things in the Prison Shop or send something to the through the post office (*). As you leave the waiting area, turn right and head towards the parking area and visitor canteen. You will see the prison shop on your right.  There is a form here with the prices. All you have to do is fill in the quantity for each item. Unfortunately, it is only available in Thai. Luckily, we have done a translation for you. Sometimes, one of the people on duty might be able to help. Plus, most of the items are on show behind the counter. You don’t actually get to touch them like in a normal shop. But you can point. Take the form to the cashier and put the form face down in the blue tray on the counter. The name of the prisoner will be called in turn and you will be asked for the money. He will then staple the receipt to your form. You do not get any receipt. Don’t worry, the food always gets there. You can also buy shirts and shorts. Sometimes you might find some items not available. Also, prices for items such as fruit might vary with the season.

* You are no longer allowed to send parcels

HOW TO DEPOSIT MONEY

If you enter the waiting area, to your left is the counter for booking the visit but also a window for paying money into the prison bank account. There is a little slip of paper that you are supposed to use to fill in the details. You get this from the same round tables in the middle of the room where you found the Visitor registration form. Unfortunately it is all in Thai. There are four lines. The top line has two spaces for your first name and family name. The second line has two spaces for the prisoner’s first name and family name. The third line has two spaces for the amount of money and the section (usually Dan 2 if they are a male prisoner just arrived). The fourth line has two spaces for id card number (you can leave blank) and the cell number. You can also leave that blank if you don’t know. Give this slip of paper and the money to the guy behind the counter. He will then write out a receipt to give to you. From experience, we have learned that they don’t always know about this deposit. We once did an anonymous donation to a prisoner. But she only found out about it as she was preparing toleave.

This money can be used by the prisoners though they cannot withdraw more than 200 baht per day.  They don’t actually touch the money as they are given coupons. These coupons are only valid for 24 hours. There doesn’t seem to be a limit to how much money they can have in their accounts. If you cannot go to Thailand, then it might be possible to send money through your embassy. In extreme cases, we might be able to assist you.

WRITING TO PRISONERS

Most, if not all male foreigners are in Section 2. In Thai they say “Dan 2″. All female prisoners are in “Dan 4″. You should also write their cell number but it isn’t important if you don’t have it yet. However, it might help to start with, if you can add the nationality next to the name. You can use the following address:

Prisoner’s Name (Dan 2)
Samut Prakan Central Prison
333 Sukhumwit Road
Tambon Klong Dan
Amphoe Bang Bo
Samut Prakan Province
10550
Thailand

11th July 2008: For the foreseeable future, you CANNOT send any parcels to prisons inside Thailand. You can only send letters.

You mustn’t send any metal objects which also includes silver foil. For example, the seal on the tube of toothpaste will not pass. If the metal detector alarm goes off, they will just return it to sender without opening it. If you send parcels, you are supposed to put a photocopy of your i.d. card or passport on the side of the box. However, you don’t need to do this if you put a book in a normal envelope.

Tags: Samut Prakan Central Prison