Female inmates at Bangkok's Central Womens' Correctional Facility sit in their prison uniforms with ..,...

Female inmates at Bangkok's Central Womens' Correctional Facility sit in their prison uniforms with their infant children, who stay in a special ward in the prison until they reach the age of one year, then they will be sent to a special home, August 6, 2002. In the prison which houses over 6,400 women, there are currently 72 pregnant inmates and another 61 who have given birth behind bars so far this year. A two-year-old program initiated by Thailand's state correctional department also allows older children of the inmates, most of whom live in special homes rather than with relatives, to spend one hour per week with their mothers behind bars. Over 80 per cent of prisoners are serving sentences on drug-related charges, with a smaller percentage imprisoned on other charges including theft and murder.