Life behind bars for LGBT prisoners has been improved by placing them in cells based on their gender or sexual orientation

True love: A lesbian couple who were together before their arrest for drug offences are trying to maintain their relationship inside the prison. Photos: CHAIYOT YONGCHAROENCHAI

Before being sentenced to prison, Chalom lived her life in a carefree way. She had a full-time job as a hairdresser in a Pattaya beauty salon, which she enjoyed. The only thing she wanted was some extra spending money. With some help from her friends, she became a drug dealer at the age of 26.

Chalom got the extra money, but it was to come with a cost. At 28 years old, she was arrested and convicted on a drug possession charge. She was sent to Pattaya Remand Prison to serve a three-year sentence.

No entry: Double walls with electrified barbed wire prevent escape and outsiders from throwing items into the prison.

Chalom is a 30-year-old transgender woman. Born a man, she underwent sex reassignment surgery to become a woman, from her head to toes. As a beauty expert, her first concern about facing prison time was getting her long hair chopped off and being shaved like regular male inmates.

"I was so afraid they [the prison authorities] would shave my hair off," she explained. "I was also concerned that I would have to share a cell with male inmates. I could have been the only woman in the prison. To be honest, I was so afraid that I would get raped in prison."

Much to her relief, Chalom soon found out that Pattaya Remand Prison respects and recognises sexual diversity, placing inmates in cells based on their stated gender and sexual orientation.

This has been the policy in Thai prisons for many years, but only recently has the Department of Corrections announced a plan to create one central prison for people of all LGBT stripes.

BEHIND THE WHITE WALL

Pattaya Remand Prison is located on the outskirts of the city centre. The building is guarded by a large white wall topped with electric barbed wire issuing a steady buzzing noise.

Laying down rules: Watcharavit Vachiralerphum speaks to gay inmates who are segregated from the men's prison.

The complex can look intimidating from the outside. But inside, the prison's warden and officers lend the place a far friendlier vibe than one might expect.

Every day, hundreds of people drop by to visit their loved ones in prison. They are allowed to talk by phone from behind a window for no longer than 15 minutes.

was led through the prison by Watcharavit Vachiralerphum, the prison's warden. The first step was to pass through security. We walked through a metal detector gate, and all our bags, cellphones, electronic devices and other belongings were deposited before entering the premises.

Welfare is a priority: Prison warden Watcharavit Vachiralerphum

Spectrum

Once past the gate, the prison officer checked our shirt pockets and pants to make sure no hidden objects were taken inside. As we were cleared, the electric gate swung open and another set of gates appeared.

This gate is meant to secure the prison area off from inmates who try to get close to the wall. We passed through and arrived at an office where new inmates were gathering for their screening process.

When Spectrum visited, the prison was home to about 200 new inmates, including both those who were convicted and those still on trial.

Women were lined up on the right side of the office, while the men were on the left. Each inmate was called, one by one, to be personally interviewed by the prison officers.

"What did you do before?" one officer asks. "What are you convicted of? Do you have any diseases? What is your gender?"

The questions are meant to determine what cell placement will suit the inmate best.

Cherry, a 25-year-old transgender woman, was one of the inmates at the screening process on the day Spectrum visited. She is on trial for theft. She hasn't been convicted yet, but court orders state she must be kept in custody until the trial's end.

"I was working as a cabaret dancer at a night entertainment venue," Cherry tells the prison warden. "I'm a post-op transgender woman and I'm healthy."

After her interview, her gender was verified by an on-site doctor. The warden accordingly assigned her to a female wing alongside 13 other transgender women inmates.

Head this way: The entrance to the female wing at Pattaya Remand Prison.

COMMON PRACTICE

Pattaya Remand Prison, built 15 years ago, remains in good condition.