Cambodian Prisoners Doing More Porridge Than Necessary

Banteay Meanchey Prison during flooding

With putrid food, foul water and little access to health care Cambodian prisons are no place to be.

So you'd expect that the counting down of one's sentence is one of the few things that keeps Cambodian prisoners grinding through each day.

But for some release day can arrive, pass, and yet they still find themselves firmly behind bars.

The reason? Corrupt prison and court officials make up bogus excuses to further detain the prisoner and then solicit bribes from family members to secure the release of their loved one.

 Simply put it's a filthy "pay up,' or they stay banged up," extortion.

"I was a asked how much money I had. I have no money, I am so poor. I want the court to release my son," said Meas Bin after claiming she was asked to pay a bribe by Banteay Meanchey officials even though her son's prison term should have ended more than a week ago.

Several NGOs have had to intervene on a number of occasions to get Banteay Meanchey prison to release inmates who were serving time behind bars that they should not be enduring. You'd expect that the practice isn't confined just to that particular institution.