Breaking the cycle

The director of Baan Kanchanapisek Vocational Juvenile Training Centre for Boys, Thicha Nanakorn, last month posted on Facebook that her contract as a juvenile justice expert had not been renewed. This means her position as the director of 20 years will end on Sept 30.
Her Facebook post raised questions and concerns about the uncertain future of Baan Kanchanapisek and the young residents there. This remand home is different from others as its policy emphasises youth participation, which is an effective tool and has led to a very low recidivism rate of less than 6%.
Pol Lt Col Prawut Wongsrinil, the director-general of the Department of Juvenile Observation and Protection (DJOP), explained that Thicha’s contract was not extended due to the Office of the Civil Service Commission’s policy to reduce and adjust the number of employees. However, when a network of former residents of Baan Kanchanapisek questioned Pol Col Tawee Sodsong, the Justice Minister, he had a different comment.
“As a minister, I affirm that Baan Kanchanapisek’s model is the most suitable approach with a very low recidivism rate. The Department of Correction has reported a national recidivism rate higher than 30%, but at Baan Kanchanapisek, the rate is only 6%. Therefore, this is the most effective model in Thailand and it should be expanded to other areas,” said Pol Col Tawee.
Despite the positive comment from the Justice Minister, no concrete actions have been taken to ensure the safety and security of youths residing in Baan Kanchanapisek. In fact, Pol Lt Col Prawut even said that without Baan Kanchanapisek, there were still other juvenile detention centres open.
Some current residents at Baan Kanchanapisek shared how they felt about the situation at the forum “Pa Mon’s Speak Out/The Baan Kanchanapisek Research/Continue Or Terminate Baan Kanchanapisek”. The forum was organised by the Child Youth and Family Foundation, the Women and Men Progressive Movement Foundation, and former residents of Baan Kanchanapisek.
Got, a resident of Baan Kanchanapisek, who was transferred from another detention centre, said that his mindset changed after staying at Baan Kanchanapisek.
“I want to address the director-general of the DJOP who said there was no issue if Baan Kanchanapisek closed down. This may not be an issue to him, but it will be a problem for young people there who are in the process of developing and shaping a positive mindset. At Baan Kanchanapisek, I never made violent choices, unlike at my former juvenile detention centre where I relied on my darker side,” said Got.
Kit, a one-year resident at Baan Kanchanapisek, said being at the centre helped him solve his family conflict.
“My decade-long family conflict was mended after I came here. I opened up to my mother, which is something that has never happened while I was at other juvenile detention centres. At those places, I had to be violent to survive, while this place allowed us to share our opinions and reflect on our mistakes,” said Kit.
An anonymous resident said he almost believed he could not be a good person until he arrived at Baan Kanchanapisek.
“When I was arrested, everyone — from the police station to my village — told me that I could not become a good person. Baan Kanchanapisek organises many activities that allow residents to meet people outside. These activities help us believe that we are not bad people and that we can return to society,” he said.
Baan Kanchanapisek is the brainchild of Khunying Chantanee Santabutr, an associate judge, who was concerned about juvenile recidivism. It was built through donations to mark the 50th year of King Rama IX’s reign and was designed without doors, walls and fences.
The building was advanced in design and Thicha, the person chosen to run the place, was not a typical government officer. Although it is a civil society organisation, Baan Kanchanapisek still receives financial support from the government every year.
Thicha has been the director of Baan Kanchanapisek since 2003. The mission Khunying Chantanee gave her was to reduce juvenile recidivism and she was able to successfully achieve that.
When people learn that juveniles have a criminal history, they often become afraid. However, staff at Baan Kanchanapisek believe children are not born bad.
“Children are not born evil, but environmental factors ranging from their families to society around them often fail to nurture them,” explained Thicha.
“Thailand lacks public spaces where young people can explore and show off their creativity and abilities. While many parents can’t afford ‘white spaces’, there are many ‘black spaces’ filled with drugs and crime. Most vulnerable young people are impacted by lack of support. As a result, when these juveniles come to Baan Kanchanapisek, we have to find ways to help them realise their own self-worth.”
When juveniles arrive at Baan Kanchanapisek, they attend a wrist-tying blessing ceremony and Thicha gives them all a hug. She tells them that she will work with them to find the inner goodness in them. The second night at Baan Kanchanapisek, new residents feast at a moo krata restaurant. This activity is a challenge of willpower as they must battle between their good and bad spirits to decide whether to stay or run away.
“Over the past two decades of our moo krata activity, only two residents ran away. We also realised that our approach using adults did not work, so we implemented a ‘child to child connection’ strategy. Current residents with a positive mindset mentor new arrivals and since then, no one has run away,” explained Thicha.
To respect the youngsters’ rights, residents can choose their own hairstyle and clothes. There is a karaoke room, a movie room and a snooker table for residents. To set up all these activities, youngsters discuss and make their own rules. Staff found that youngsters cooperate well when they were allowed to express their opinions.
Other activities at Baan Kanchanapisek include analysing news, reading articles and watching movies to help them change their mindset and understand victims of violence. They also have to keep a daily diary. This will help staff to understand them and help heal their pain.
One of the most effective activities is “parents’ empowerment”. This helps parents identify issues within their family. A youngster selects cards from 22 options. Each card selected must reflect a family issue. For example, one resident who murdered a taxi driver chose the card “to control”. He explained that he was uncomfortable around his father because he was very demanding and controlling.
“His father didn’t know how his son felt about his behaviour. If parents don’t realise they are part of the problem, things at home will never change,” explained Thicha.
If Thicha’s contract is not renewed, her last day at work will be Sept 30. Young residents and their parents hope she can stay, but if not, they hope Baan Kanchanapisek will maintain its youth participation policy.
“I don’t care whether I stay or leave. What matters is to maintain the management and rehabilitation procedures that Baan Kanchanapisek has in place. I hope there will be someone who is brave enough to undertake the responsibility and who does not focus solely on the law, but also on the lives of the youths. The best way to heal a person’s pain is to focus on the source of the pain,” said Thicha.
On Sept 18, Pol Lt Col Prawut confirmed that he received Baan Kanchanapisek’s performance report and assigned staff members of the Department of Juvenile Observation and Protection to present this information to the Office of the Civil Service Commission. As a result, the OCSC has already approved Baan Kanchanapisek to continue its operations.