The Department of Corrections (DoC) is floating the idea of adopting reading as one of the criteria for prisoners' early release, says Justice Minister Pol Col Tawee Sodsong.
Pol Col Tawee said the DoC was mulling over a project in which inmates will be eligible for one day of parole for every book they finish reading while behind bars.
The project aims to promote learning for inmates and fulfil the department's duty to ensure inmates receive a basic education before they are released.
"What's important here is that every inmate must be able to read and write and run a business when they have served out their jail term," the minister said.
Of the 230,000 inmates jailed nationwide, 77% are under-educated, meaning they have not finished their compulsory education, while 10% are deemed uneducated.
The DoC is pushing for them to attain the equivalent of Mathayom 6 (Grade 12) or a higher vocational level, so they will have wider employment opportunities upon their release.
The reading report is part of this initiative. Pol Col Tawee said it has been used in some countries, such as Brazil, where inmates can have their jail term cut by four days for every book they complete.
The DoC has set up Phrom Panya libraries in prisons as part of the "To Be Number One" project.
The prison libraries contain physical copies of books. Some of the libraries have a catalogue of 20,000 texts.
Pol Col Tawee said the initiative does not benefit any specific group of inmates.
He first pitched the reading idea at the 109th DoC Foundation Day event on Oct 11.
He said that promoting reading among inmates would assist them with their reintegration into society after they are released.
The DoC is doing its part to enhance the quality of the nation's manpower to contribute to the country's development, said the justice minister.
