The Department of Corrections, under the Ministry of Interior maintains central prisons, houses of relegation, youthful offender institutions, houses of confinement, women's correctional institutions, medical correctional institutions, provincial and district prisons, and open institutions. Prison camps are organized as part of provincial, regional, and central prisons and are used for prisoners with good conduct to participate in agricultural operations. The department is responsible for providing rehabilitation programs and welfare services to prisoners. Training courses in moral, cultural, and general education are provided. Other aspects of the department's work include the collection of statistical data and the operation of parole and remission programs. The total number of inmates in all correctional institutions in 1978 was 67,240; 48 percent served sentences for offenses against property; 57 percent served sentences of less than 2 years; 32 percent were aged 20-25 years and 22 percent were under 20 years old; 171,304 admissions and 104,064 releases were recorded in 1978. A boon to the training and preparation of correctional personnel has been the new training and research center established in 1972. New recruits receive comprehensive training, and inservice training programs are provided for different categories of correctional staff. Between 1974 and 1978 the number of correctional personnel grew from 5,223 to 8,702, but the increase in the inmate population was slightly greater during this time. Correctional staff follow the promotion levels of the civil service in Thailand. Among the problems faced by Thai corrections are the increasing prison population, the age and physical inadequacy of most prison facilities, and the shortage of prison staff. Nine tables are supplied.