The Department of Corrections has suspended jail sentences for more than 8,000 prisoners nationwide to ease overcrowding in prisons during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Pol Col Naras Savestanan, director-general of the Department of Corrections, said on Monday that the number of prisoners receiving suspended sentences for the period is twice the normal release rate.
A department source said no high-profile prisoners or those who had committed serious crimes are eligible for suspended sentences.
Meanwhile, in Pathum Thani, 458 people imprisoned for violating the emergency decree between April 5-12 have been checked for symptoms of Covid-19 and are in individual quarantine cells.
The department chief said there have been no new Covid-19 infections among prisoners since Monday.
Two inmates and one prison officer who were infected are undergoing treatment, he said, although he did not say what prisons they are from.
Prisons nationwide say they have maintained a high standard of hygiene, and wardens report they are watching for any prisoners who fall sick.
Between October 2019 and March, 7,890 prisoners were granted suspended sentences. They were released in two batches per month, and must report to probation officers regularly.
