Bang Kwang Central Prison ( th, เรือนจำกลางบางขวาง; ) is a men's

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, corre ...

in Nonthaburi Province,

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

, on the Chao Phraya River about 11 km north of

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

. It is a part of the

Department of Corrections In criminal justice, particularly in North America, correction, corrections, and correctional, are umbrella terms describing a variety of functions typically carried out by government agencies, and involving the punishment, treatment, and s ...

. Bang Kwang is the site of the men's death row and the execution chamber of Thailand. the prison had about 6,000 inmates.

History

The prison houses many foreign prisoners. It is a harsh prison that handles death row and long-sentence prisoners. All prisoners are required to wear leg irons for the first three months of their sentences. Death row inmates were required to have their leg irons permanently welded on,Free at last: Longest-serving farang at 'Bangkok Hilton' is checking out
" ''

Mail & Guardian The ''Mail & Guardian'' is a South African weekly newspaper and website, published by M&G Media in Johannesburg, South Africa. It focuses on political analysis, investigative reporting, Southern African news, local arts, music and popular cult ...

''. March 2, 2012. Retrieved on July 4, 2016. although this practice ended in 2013. In the book '' The Damage Done'', former prisoner and drug courier Warren Fellows recounts that the prison was nicknamed "Big Tiger" by the Thais because it "prowled and ate". Fellows's associate Paul Hayward also served part of his sentence there.

Death row

Bang Kwang contains Thailand's primary men's death row and execution chamber. Death rows for both men and women also are present in provincial prisons. , 510 persons remained on death row nationwide. there was one man from the United Kingdom on death row at Bang Kwang, Alan John Davies. He was the first European to receive a death sentence in Thailand. He was freed after 17 years of "hell" in the Bang Kwang prison, returning to the UK in 2007 after being granted amnesty by the king. Chaovaret Jarubon, the last executioner in Thailand to kill by gunfire, died in 2012, having executed 55 prisoners during his career. He wrote an autobiography in 2006, ''The Last Executioner'', and co-wrote ''A Secret History of the Bangkok Hilton'', with Pornchai Sereemongkonpol.

References

{{reflist

External links

Short description at the Department of Corrections, Thailand
(Archive)
Bangkwang.net, information about visiting Bangkwang prisonChecking Into The Bangkok Hilton: article in The Observer on visiting foreign prisonersThe Real Bangkok Hilton (BBC)
Capital punishment in Thailand Prisons in Thailand Buildings and structures in Nonthaburi province Men's prisons

History

Death row

See also

References

External links