The Effectiveness of the Vocational Training Programs for Women Prisoners at the 2nd Correctional Center in Cambodia

In the last decade, the situation in Cambodia has changed and developed significantly. In 1980, Cambodia had a population of about 6 million, but by 2019, Cambodia had a population of nearly 16 million, of which 18.5% were literate. Rapid growth has had social consequences, such as poverty, high school dropout, and unemployment. These adverse effects cause society to experience instability, insecurity, and disorder, such as fraud, robbery, murder, gambling, kidnapping, alcohol, and regular domestic violence, including drug trafficking and abuse. Among these crimes, drug trafficking and use are growing concerns in Cambodian society today. Drug consumption is not only increasing in the city, but it is also spreading to all parts of the countryside. Most importantly, drug cases have been seriously endangering the future of Cambodian youth. The study surveyed 124 female inmates at Correctional Center II to address research objectives and critical issues: (1) What are the programs for education, vocational training, and rehabilitation for detainees? (2) What is the attitude of female prisoners, and how are they satisfied with the vocational training programs? and (3) What are the challenges and solutions to improve this vocational education and training? This research used SPSS 25 Software to analyze the quantitative data on 124 female inmates. The results showed that the Second Correctional Center's management complies with legal standards and has a clear plan. In directing the daily work of prisoners, prison officials are not coerced, nor do they help solve complex problems for prisoners. Effective in safe, secure, and humane management, with a proper and hygienic environment and suitable management mechanisms to prevent torture and inhuman or degrading treatment of prisoners. Authorization and visitation services by detainees and careful medical examination and treatment. Indeed, the results of the effective prison management and the excellent attitude of the participants in this correctional center align with the prison management strategy under the 2011 Law on Prisons and human rights principles. As for the attitude of women prisoners towards vocational training, it is clear that vocational training is necessary for good opportunities to develop their future work and is beneficial. After participating in vocational training, the trainees had a positive attitude, felt less stressed during detention, and learned how to communicate with friends. Overall, through the actual work, we can see that there are still some challenges, such as the change of detainees, which gradually increases yearly, leading to detainees' detention and congestion. Indeed, detainees' attitudes are challenging to educate, modify, and rehabilitate because detainees are still at fault and have low attitudes, which is  very complicated and a priority to be solved.