Bhutan

• Author: George Kurian
• Pages: 220

Page 220

Official country name: Kingdom of Bhutan

Capital: Thimphu

Geographic description: A landlocked country in the high Himalayas between India and China

Population: 2,232,291 (est. 2005)

Bhutan

LAW ENFORCEMENT

Structure and Organization

The national police is the Royal Bhutan Police under a commissioner who is stationed in Thimphu. It is sometimes assisted by a national militia. There are police outposts in each block that report to the superintendent of police in each district. There is a special unit in charge of criminal investigation. Superior police officers are sent to India for training. Policemen are generally unarmed.

CORRECTIONAL SYSTEM

The principal prison is in Thimphu, but there are smaller jails in every district. The Chemgang Prison is five miles east of Thimphu. The total prison population is estimated to be 1,400, of which 35% are pretrial detainees.

Prison Conditions

Prison conditions are austere because of the small budget of the prison service. Prisoners receive small food rations and little or no medical services. The prison buildings tend to be ill maintained.

George Thomas Kurian