Assistant Professor Prinya Helps 4 Inmates in Thailand's First Work-Release Program to Pay Fines

On April 28, 2025, Assistant Professor Dr. Prinya Thaewanarumitkul from Thammasat University's Faculty of Law announced a groundbreaking initiative to address Thailand's problem of poverty-driven incarceration. He revealed that four inmates have been helped through a new work-release fund program, with all four securing their freedom on this date.

According to Prinya, Thailand currently imprisons people unable to afford court-ordered fines at a rate of 500 baht per day. Despite legal provisions allowing community service as an alternative to jail time, most courts reject these requests, resulting in approximately 40,000 to 50,000 people imprisoned annually simply for being poor. This prompted Prinya and his law students to establish a fund that pays inmates' fines upfront while providing job placement opportunities. Once inmates earn enough through work to repay the fund, their debt is considered settled.

At the Central Pathum Thani Detention Facility, four willing inmates were selected for the program with fines totaling 98,500 baht (ranging from 12,000 to 30,000 baht each, equivalent to 24 to 60 days of confinement). Prinya personally funded the payment this morning, and the facility has now processed the fine payments through their originating courts. All four inmates will now work with partner organizations including Tatchon Dee Project, Mirror Foundation, and Thammasat University to earn back the funds.

This marks the first initiative in Thailand enabling inmates imprisoned purely for financial hardship to work their way to freedom. Once the four inmates complete their work obligations and repay the fund, Prinya plans to use the recovered money to assist other willing inmates in the same manner.