Agenda Item 3

Recruitment and Training of Correctional Staff

“Correctional Officer” Position

                        In Thailand, correctional works have long been carried out by correctional officers.  Correctional officers are mainly responsible for prisoner control in prisons and prisoner transportation to and from court.  Due to personnel shortage problem, correctional officers are also assigned to be responsible for prisoner classification, vocational training, education program, social works, prisoner’s diet, treatment programs for particular group of prisoners like drug addicts, pre-release activities and parole.  The only few jobs that are not handled by correctional officers are medical treatment and religious activities since every prison has its own medical team and chaplains. 

                        Questions that usually arise: “Are correctional officers capable of performing all above duties?” “Then, who should be recruited to work as correctional officers? What about their educational level or training?”  Well, we can hardly say. 

                        Correctional officers are junior prison officers.  Individuals with high school or vocational college diploma are eligible to apply for the job.  At the selection stage, they would be tested of fundamental academic knowledge and physical strength.  If the result were consistent with the standard, they would be sent to work in prison normally within a week or two.  Once they arrive at the prisons, an on-the-job-training schedule would then be given in accordance with their ability and personal qualification.  The new comers would have a chance to attend official training by the Correctional Staff Training Institute from time to time during their 6-month probation period.

                        When rehabilitation scheme became a significant issue in the correctional system all over the world, the Department of Corrections had adjusted itself by adding proper treatment and rehabilitation in its correctional management philosophy.   Correctional works has been viewed as professional works since then.   This has a major effect on the recruitment and selection process as well as the personnel management of the Department.  Correctional works now require more professionals than general staff.  Penologist position has been developed.  Minimum education level requires for the position is a bachelor degree in Political Sciences, Laws, and other social sciences.   Penologist is different from correctional officer in terms of the responsibility.   While the focus of correctional officers is prisoner control, penologists are responsible for prisoner treatment and rehabilitation.  However, penologists are now technically assigned by prison administrators to help out correctional officers due to the shortage of prison manpower.

Professional Correctional Career

                        With regard to the fact that correctional works are considered both science and arts, the professional school in corrections should be established. Currently, the study in corrections in Thailand is relatively behind other country.  Corrections are viewed as part of the faculty of social sciences or social works.   Moreover, most school offers only the graduate courses. 

                        Efforts have been made by the Department of Corrections to promote correctional study in Thailand especially at the undergraduate level.  The Department cooperated with Sukhothai Thamathiraj Open University in developing the undergraduate program in corrections.  Firstly opened in 1994, the program is designed for those who work as correctional officers and have not yet graduated with bachelor degree.  It is a long-distance study and does not require class attendance.  Further, it is expected to be a significant channel for personnel development and to make the correctional career to be more professional. Correctional officers who enroll to study in this course and have successfully accomplished shall get a privileged credit upon the promotion.

Position Classification System

                        Since correctional staffs are government officers, the personnel administration of the Department of Corrections has to be conformed to the regulation of the Office of Civil Service Commission (OCSC).  At present, the OCSC employs the position classification system (PC) to manage civilian government officers.  The classification ranks from Level 1, a junior level, to Level 10, the directorate level.

                        According to the latest statistics, the Department of Corrections now has 10,965 officers, which can be classified as follows:

                        From the above table, the majority of staffs are at the level 5 and 4, which are the high junior and the senior staffs. This implies that staffs starting their career from Level 1, 2, and 3 has been promoted overtime, and the Department is still in short of Level 1 and 2 staffs who normally are assigned as prison guards.   It should be noted that graduates with high school diploma, high vocational college diploma, and bachelor degree would be placed at Level 1, 2, and 3 respectively. In addition, if the new comers with master degree and Ph.D. degree would be appointed at Level 4 and 5 respectively. 

Training

                        The Correctional Staff Training Institute is a central agency, under the supervision of the Department of Corrections, that responsible for training and personnel development.  The Institute has 9 regional branches all across the country.   Its training system can be classified as follows:

                        1. Training Courses with the Annual Budget

                        Each year, the Department of Corrections receives a limited budget for personnel development.  This results in the limited number of training courses.  For example, the orientation course, which theoretically should be provided for all new staff before their entering into prisons, cannot be implemented effectively.  New staff would have to start their career with only a brief explanation of their daily duties.  On-the-job-training is the only best way for them to learn what they are expected to do during their probation period.  Some have to wait for years to attend their official orientation. 

                        Generally, the annual courses with regard to the annual budget are:

-         Orientation of new officers

-         Training courses for social workers and psychologists

-         Training courses for drug prevention and suppression officers

-         Training courses for prison intelligent unit

-         Warden courses

-         Prisoner Director courses

-         Etc.

2. Training Courses with Special Budget

The Department of Corrections has tried its best to find the resources to promote personnel development system.  With supports from other agencies both private and public, some training courses like Internet for Executives and Safety Measures in Vocational Training are made available for correctional staffs.  In addition, prisons and correctional institutions can also develop their own training courses to serve the needs of their staff.  The Department also receives supports from international agencies for the training of correctional staff.  The vivid example is the training course on Therapeutic Community treatment program supported by Daytop of the USA., for correctional staffs responsible for drug rehabilitation in prisons.

3. Training via the Internet

                        Training via the Internet is the innovation in Thai correctional system.  It has been carried out for over 2 years and has received a tremendous success.  The first course was exclusively for penologist and correctional staff.  After registered, participants would receive assignment, papers, and report as well as update news from the Internet. Participants can learn from their own computer at home or office.  It helps reduce a great deal of training costs like transportation, accommodation and lecture’s cost. However, there are still some doubts about participation and evaluation.   

                        4. Seminars

                        Seminars have been held occasionally to exchange experience, suggestion, and comments among correctional staffs. Most seminars are generally held in one day; they are considered as less expensive than training programs. The topics of annual seminars of the Department include:

-         Seminar of Correctional Administrators

-         Seminar of Head of Penological Operation Section

-         Seminar of Head of Vocational Training Section

-         Seminar of Head of Education and Moral Development Section

-         Seminar of Open Correctional Institution Staffs

-         Seminar of Financing and Accounting Officers

-         Etc.

5. Training with Outside Agencies

Apart from in-country training programs and seminars, the Department has encouraged its staff to apply for training programs run by outside agencies, both in-country and international. This is to expand staff’s and the Department’s vision.  Those courses that correctional staff attend from time to time include:

-         Financial and accounting administration

-         English language development

-         Therapeutic Community program for drug addicts comprising of:

·        Programs run by Office of the Narcotic Control Board, Thailand

·        Program run by Comunita Incontro, Italy

·        Program run by Daytop, USA.

-         Etc.

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