MEASURES TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF THE CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 UNDER THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF INMATES IN ANG THONG PRISON

Abstract

This research article aimed to study the problem of the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 and measured to prevent the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 under the human rights of inmates in Ang Thong Prison. It was a mixed methodology research, beginning with qualitative research by interviewing key informants, divided into 4 groups by purposive selection, consisting of Ang Thong Prison personnel, community leaders, public health personnel and academics in criminology and the justice process of 14 people. The research tools were an interview form, content analysis and followed by quantitative research by collecting data from questionnaires. The sample group was police officers, correctional officers, lawyers, inmate's relatives and court officials who came to contact officials in Ang Thong Provincial Prison for 328 people. The research tool was a questionnaire created from content analysis and data synthesis obtained from in-depth interviews combining with literature reviews, concepts, theories and related research. The results showed that state of the problem of the spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 under the human rights of inmates in Ang Thong Prison which consisted of 1) problems caused by the environment, 2) problems caused by personal behavior of the person, 3) problems caused by accepting new inmates going to court or seeking medical treatment, 4) problems arising from contacting government officials within the prison by outsiders, and 5) problems arising from various activities within the prison. For measures to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 under the human rights of inmates in Ang Thong Provincial Prison, it consisted of 6 measures: 1) the overcrowding environment in the prison, 2) the personal behavior of the person, 3) the acceptance of new inmates going to court or seeking medical treatment according to symptoms, 4) contacting government officials within prisons of outsiders, 5) activities within prisons, and 6) other aspects such as release temporarily to reduce congestion inside the prison in the case of prisoners with underlying diseases that posed a risk of death if infected with the 2019 coronavirus, suspects/prisoners undergoing trial, and elderly prisoners aged 60 years and over.