CHONBURI: Pattaya Special Prison launched a halfway house and four vocational training venues on Tuesday, expanding programs meant to give inmates skills, temporary shelter, and a path back into society before they leave custody.
Police Colonel Prawut Wongsilin, director-general of the Department of Corrections, presided over the opening of the “Ban Kao Mai Hai Okat” (New Step Opportunity Home) sign and the prison’s new skills-training sites. Chonburi Deputy Governor Issara Charoenchasri attended, along with local officials and representatives from government agencies, the private sector, and partner organizations.
The ceremony was held at Pattaya Special Prison in tambon Nong Pla Lai.
Prison superintendent Phatsaphong Jaiklongklaew said the project includes a halfway house for people who have completed their sentences but still lack housing or work. The home is intended as temporary shelter where they can settle, adjust and prepare for life outside prison, with a core goal of reducing reoffending.
The prison also opened four training sites:
– Inspired by Princess @ Pattaya, a coffee shop where inmates learn barista skills, beverage service and café management. Officials said the shop was established in honor of Her Royal Majesty Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendiradebyavati, who has long supported opportunities for inmates and corrections work.
– Hubphoei Thai Kitchen by Pattaya, a restaurant used to train inmates in Thai cooking, shop management and customer service.
– Ruean Hubphoei Thai Massage, a venue for traditional Thai massage and health-service training, skills officials said can later become a source of income.
– Hubphoei Car Care by Pattaya, which teaches vehicle cleaning, care and basic maintenance to improve inmates’ chances of finding work.
Col. Prawut said the Department of Corrections’ role is not limited to holding inmates under the justice system. He said the agency also wants to “return good people to society” through rehabilitation and character development so that former inmates can live ordinary lives and not return to crime.
Officials described the halfway house and training centers as a practical step toward release: building job skills that match labor-market demand and giving people a structured chance to start again after prison.