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Thai inmates practice meditation as part of a Muay Thai boxing rehabilitation program at Nonthaburi Prison in Nonthaburi province, Thailand, 02 August 2022. The prison in the Bangkok metropolitan region offers the social rehabilitation program to allow participating inmates – currently 13 of an estimated 1,200 prisoners – to learn the national martial art combat sport of Muay Thai boxing. The project was launched in 2020 by the prison's director, Preethida Somchit, a former athlete herself, and the department of corrections but had to be suspended due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The idea was to promote physical and mental health and discipline and reduce violence at the facility. Another goal is to help prepare the prisoners to reintegrate into society and offer them prospects for a better future after their release, either as professional Muay Thai fighters or trainers. The participants train seven hours a day, six days a week, with the help of a licensed trainer and former prison guard. Thailand has the largest prison population in Southeast Asia and one of the world's most overcrowded prison systems. Most prisoners are held for drug offenses, according to an International Federation for Human Rights report. (Photo by Rungroj Yongrit/EPA/EFE)
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