Prison Biography

Background of Prisons Department

1. Prisons Department was emerged along with the British Colonial System of British Colonial Government. In 1827, they established the first prison of Myanmar in Sittwe and on the 1st July 1894, the laws such as Myanmar Jail Manual as well as 1900 Acts of Prisoners were prescribed and the prisons were ruled. Prisons Department was transformed and established as prisons in 1894, sub-prison in 1937 and Prisons Department in 1974.
Lwist of Director Generals who served in Prisons Department

2. They are as follows;

1. ThayaySithu U Ba Mg from 27-12-1947 to 14-1-1951
2. ThiriPyanchi U Ba Thein from 15-1-1951 to 26-9-1959
3. ThiriPyanchi U HlaPhay from 27-9-1959 to 17-11-1961
4. ThiriPyanchi U ThanNwet from 18-11-1961 to 8-9-1968
5. U Tun Yin Law from 9-9-1968 to 17-9-1968
6. U NyeinHlaing from 18-9-1968 to 29-8-1972
7. ZayaKyawHtin U Ba Khin from 30-8-1972 to 31-8-1982
8. U Win Lwin from 1-9-1982 to 24-2-1985
9. U Tin Oo from 15-7-1985 to 10-10-1988
10. U Zaw Min from 11-10-1988 to 23-8-1995
11. U KyawTun from 31-8-1995 to 12-1-2003
12. U Ba Myint from 13-3-2003 to 6-9-2004
13. U Zaw Win from 7-9-2004 to 27-12-2012
14. U ThanHtay from 28-12-2012 to 7-10-2016
15. U TheinOo from 8-10-2016 to date

Objectives and Eight Duties of Prisons Department

3. Objectives of Prisons Department

1. To ensure safe custody
2. To make correctional moral and morality
3. To equip inmates with vocational skill and knowledge for production
4. To perform community services for the benefit of the public

4. Eight Duties of Prisons Department

1. Security
2. Discipline
3. Promotion of inmates’ living standard
4. Health Care
5. Correction of Moral and Morality
6. Teaching of vocational education and literature
7. Performing Works of Production
8. Performing community services for the interest of people

Structure of Prisons Department

5. In the Head quarters of Prisons Department, Director General, Deputy Director General and Directors supervise the entire department and the following sections have been established-

1. Administration Division: One Director heads and undertakes the security of Headquarters and prisons/camps, discipline, cleanliness of the surroundings, recruitment, transfer and promotion of officers/staff, salaries, welfare and retirement perks of prison staff, construction of the correctional facilities, refurbishment, procurement, provisions to prisons and health care for prisoners.
2. Training Division: In order to upgrade the capacity of staff, activities involve providing in-house and external training courses, and analyzed and screening the qualified staff for the trainings offered to Ministry of Home Affairs.
3. Planning Division: Based on the labor of inmates, agricultural and livestock vocational training camps have been established for growing paddy and other local crops. The intention of these training camps is to equip the inmates with some kind of vocational skill upon their release, and labor wages are provided to inmate laborers.
4. Production Division: The Division ensures the effective use of inmate laborers, whom are under the care of the State, by producing good-quality quarries needed for infrastructure and State Projects, and labor wages are provided to these inmates.
5. State/ Regional Director’s Offices: There are 14 Director’s Offices in respective regions and states. They are divided into two, namely “A” Director’s Offices and “B” Director’s Offices depending on the area, population and development. “A” Director’s Offices are supervised by Directors, “B” Director’s Offices are supervised by Deputy Directors, and the followings are included under the Director’s Offices-
   (1) Office of the State/ Regional Director
   (2) Prisons
   (3) Remand Prisons

Factual Information of the Prisons Department

6. Mottos of Prisons Department

1. To protect the societies against crimes
2. Kind but Firm

7. 4 Abilities

1. Ability of work
2. Ability of parade
3. Ability of persuasion
4. Ability of administration

8. 5 Norms

1. Morale
2. Discipline
3. Loyalty
4. Unity
5. Accomplishment of 4 abilities

9. 4 Functions of Capacity Development

1. Development by morale
2. Development by training
3. Development by administration
4. Development by welfare

10. The qualification requirements to be recruited as a prison staff are as follow;

1. Recommendation by a group of 3 members consisting a Deputy Supervisor or Grade 1 Assistant Supervisor
2. Biography in place of Investigation Form (7)
3. Pledge to serve in department for at least 5 years with the countersignature of the commissioned officer
4. Pledge to serve everywhere with the countersignature of Superintendent
5. Pledge of these two recommended persons to provide one hundred thousand kyats and recruit the two privates to the department if the applicant leaves the job
6. Original Recommendation Letter of Police Station
7. Original Recommendation Letter of Ward Administration Officer
8. Copy of labor registration card
9. 4 photos (Passport size)
10. Clear copy of National Registration Card (Those who are still applying for NRC are not eligible.)
11. Recommendation of school (at least grade-9 passed) with the signature of the Superintendent
12. Original recommendation for good health status
13. One sheet of file cover (bronze color)
14. 4 photos of the whole body for male (front, back, left and right photos with no slippers, no shirt and only with short pants)
15. Between 18 and 30 years of age
16. 5’ and 4” for male, 5’ and 2” for female
17. Recommendation of literacy status with the signature of the Superintendent
18. Recommendation of good health status accomplishing the 5-mile walking test and 3-mile running test with the supervision of the Superintendent
19. Blood test recommendation from the District Hospital

Training Schools

11. (a) Training School for Prison Staff (Mandalay)
     (b) Training School for Prison Staff (Insein)

Providing Trainings

12. (a) Basic Training Course of Private Level (male/female)
     (b) Computer and Basic Training Course of Prisoners Management Information System
     (c) Basic Training Course of Prison Clerks
     (d) Basic Training Course for Mechanics (Myin-thar& South Okkalar)
     (e) Training Course of Drill and Gunpowder
     (f) Training Course for Corporals
     (g) Training Course for Sergeants
     (i) Training Course for Grade 1 Assistant Supervisors
     (j) Training Course for Deputy Supervisors
     (k) Training Course for Superintendents

Family Visits

13. Immediate family members who are included in the Household Registration List are allowed to enter prisons and meet convicted prisoners and pre-trial prisoners who are detained in respective prisons and camps. The Prisons Department allows a 25-minute family visit once a week for convicted prisoners. However, the Superintendents may grant more time for family visit if the family members come from remote areas depending on the number of visits on that particular day. The convicted prisoners and pre-trails prisoners are allowed to see their lawyers in private ensuring their rights to justice. The family members are kindly suggested to bring the following items for family visits:

1. National Registration Card of visitors or The Recommendation of he/she is being a resident by the Ward Administration Officer
2. Household Registration List (Immigration Form No.10) or The Recommendation of he/she is being a family member by the Ward Administration Officer

Items that are allowed in family visits

14. When prisoners/ under-trial prisoners from respective prisons and camps receive family visits, the following items are checked and allowed to bring in the prisons in accord with the supervision of the Superintendents-

1. one sort of fruit (one papaya or a comb of bananas or ten oranges)
2. one sort of snack (about 25 kilograms of dried cake or rusk or a packet of biscuits)
3. one sort of fried meat (about 50 kilograms of fish, pork, chicken or mutton)
4. fried shrimp paste or one kind of side dish (about 20 kilograms)
5. 5 packets of ready-made noodle or vermicelli or mong-hin-gar
6. 7 packets of instant coffee or tea or cereals
7. One tube of toothpaste
8. One toothbrush
9. One soap
10. With the prescription or recommendation of medication by a prison medical officer, drugs are allowed, but will be kept only in the possession of the prison medical officer who will suggest drug use to the respective inmates.

Prohibited articles in prisons

15. (a) alcohol or any kind of spirituous liquor
     (b) tobacco or cigarette, betel
     (c) materials for smoking, chewing or snuffing such as tobacco and pipes
     (d) narcotic drugs (WY tablets, cannabis, heroin, psychotropic substances, opium etc)
     (e) poisonous materials or materials which would cause disfiguration
     (f) lighter or materials for making fire
     (g) money, currency notes, valuable securities, jewellery or any kinds of ornaments
     (h) Printed matter, letters or any kinds of writing materials that are not permitted by the Superintendent
     (i) knives, arms and other tools

Searching Visitors

16. Visitors and items brought by them are searched in searching room to prevent smuggling any prohibited articles into prisons to convicted prisoners/pre-trials inmates.

Correspondence of Prisoners/ pre-trial prisoners

17. If family members cannot visit prison to convicted prisoners/pre-trials prisoners in remote prisons and camps, the Superintendent checks and undertakes the correspondence of letters for prisoners. However, correspondence is prohibited if politics or administration, disciplinary of prison and deprecatory notes are included in those letters.

Contacts of Director’s Office according to State/Region for inquiry concerning with the convicted prisoners/pre-trial prisoners

18. They are as follows-

1. Director’s Office, Kachin State 074-20674
2. Director’s Office, Sagaing Region 071-23205
3. Director’s Office, Tanintaryi Region 059-23541
4. Director’s Office, Bago Region 052-2230917
5. Director’s Office, Mandalay Region 02-75127
6. Director’s Office, Rakhine State 043-21040
7. Director’s Office, Yangon Region 01-642495
8. Director’ Office, Shan State 081-208549
9. Director’s Office, Irrawaddy Region 042-24285
10. Director’s Office, Kayah State 083-230071
11. Director’s Office, Kayin State 058-21872
12. Director’s Office, Chin State
13. Director’s Office, Magway Region 063-28386
14. Director’s Office, Mon State 057-24738

Those who would like to donate food to convicted prisoners need to meet the following requirements:

19. (a) The donation must not have any impacts on the rights of prisoners
      (b) Donation date must be informed to the respective Superintendent about (2) weeks in advance.