Transcript of the above video: 

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing what is the worst jail for foreigners in Thailand. This is actually a question I get rather frequently from people who just talk to me on the street, or friends of mine, family even when it will come up that I will have had to deal with what we sometimes refer to as expedited deportations, which by the way we do assist people if they have been arrested or detained, they are stuck in Immigration lock up, they want to get out faster. Oftentimes that comes down to being able to liaise with various Immigration Officers, also possible travel carriers etc., in order to make arrangements to get out in as timely a manner as possible. Yeah, that is something that most folks don't like to think about having to deal with, but we have handled many expedited deportations if you will here in Thailand over the years in assisting people in getting out of detention as soon as possible. 

But long story short, and the reason for this video, what is the worst prison I have heard of, the worst jail in Thailand. Candidly, people probably think "oh the Bangkok Hilton or this and that." First of all let's be clear, you don't want to go to jail at all in Thailand; it is not a good idea. You don't want to come to Thailand, commit criminal acts that are going to lead to any kind of incarceration; that is the first thing to understand. The second thing to understand is if you do, you could end up incarcerated and how you end up incarcerated will depend on various factors depending on the underlying facts of the case, also depending on the nature of the crime, the purported sentence to be associated with the crime; that will all factor in to when, where and for what duration one will be incarcerated here in Thailand. Now that said, and the thing I would say for those who want to know what the worst place for a foreigner to be put, I think Immigration Detention itself is probably one of the worst positions to be in, and it's not a place you want to be in for a prolonged period of time. 

I thought of making this video after reading a recent article from the Pattaya Mail, that is pattaymail.com, the article is titled: Latest British video glimpses Bangkok nightlife behind the curtain. Quoting directly: "Zara accompanies a Consular Officer to the Immigration Detention Centre though she isn't allowed inside with cameras. The officer repeats several times that one cashless Brit was arrested and deported with just a 2-minutes Visa overstay. How typical is that? The footage showing the unloading of prisoners from the huge cage on the back of a truck is a timely warning of the consequences of arrest. The Embassy has no magic wand." So I urge those who are watching this video, go check out that article in detail. It's pretty interesting and I think folks who are interested in this topic may find further enlightenment in that article. 

Also while I am on the topic, it may be worth pointing out, if you want in depth long-form analysis of these issues and expat issues generally, maybe worth checking out our paid news service by emailing us, [email protected], and we can inform you how you can get on the mailing list for our paid new service. The other thing, while I'm talking my game here, it might be worth pointing out, my better half and I set up a restaurant here in downtown Bangkok, Pancake Palace, breakfast anytime as the name implies, as well as American Diner style food. Links are in the description below if you are interested in checking that out; we'd love to see you there. Back to the topic at hand though. 

Yeah okay, so we are talking about what is the worst jail. Yeah, I have got to be honest with you. Immigration Detention is not a place you want to be and why would I say that? Well it's not that there is anything wrong with their facility per se, or that there is anything wrong with Immigration or how they handle things, it is designed to be temporary. Unlike other facilities for long-term incarceration, Immigration Detention is not designed that way. And depending on your circumstances, you might get detained for a prolonged period of time in Immigration Detention, and that is not a place you are going to want to find yourself because again, it is not designed for again long-term incarceration; it is designed for temporary detention pending removal from Thailand.

So the thing to take away from this video and understand is while you never want to go to prison or jail at all here in Thailand, one to avoid in my opinion more than anything is Immigration Detention because basically it is just not designed for long-term incarceration and for that reason, I have often heard stories and I have actually been to Immigration Detention in assistance capacity in the past, and seen the facilities for myself. And yeah, I can see it is not designed for long-term incarceration. It is not there to house people; it is basically there to basically hold people in transit. Well you don't want to be in transit any longer than you have to and for that reason, you want to keep yourself in proper immigration status here in Thailand, as well as not commit any kind of crimes that are going to warrant any kind of incarceration, or possible deportation. 

That said, if you do, it may not be a terrible idea to contact a legal professional, gain some insight and guidance into how best to proceed.