"Heads at Others' Feet": 9 People in a 5-Pyeong Cell... Correctional Officers at Breaking Point

"We will begin roll call shortly. Everyone, sit up straight."

On June 17, when the daytime high reached 33°C (91°F) at Cheongju Women's Prison in North Chungcheong Province, a correctional officer shouted from the end of the hallway in the presence of reporters.

The cell, measuring just over 5 pyeong (16.62 square meters) and equipped with modest household items, a sink, and a toilet, instantly became packed with no room to move as 12 adult women entered.

Because it was too cramped to stretch out their legs, some had to sit with their backs against the wall and their knees pulled up to their chests.

The room was filled with sweltering heat.

Although two wall-mounted fans were running continuously, the heat did not easily subside.

Cheongju Women's Prison, visited on this day for an inmate experience program, is the nation's largest women-only correctional facility. It opened in 1989 and moved to its current location in 2003.

It houses a large number of violent criminals who have sparked public outrage, including Koh Yu-jeong and Lee Eun-hae, and is sometimes referred to as the "legendary Cheongju" among netizens.

While it is considered to have relatively better facilities among the 54 correctional institutions nationwide, it suffers from the same chronic overcrowding issues as other prisons.

Although the capacity of Cheongju Women's Prison is around 610, the actual number of inmates stood at 742 as of June 17, representing an occupancy rate of 120 percent.

The shared cell experienced by reporters on this day has a capacity of five people, but on average, nine inmates live there.

This means nearly two people are crammed into a space meant for one.

The room was cramped enough just sitting down, but when lying down, shoulders touched and inmates had to place their heads near the feet of others.

Only by lying all the way up to the front of the toilet could eight people barely fit.

Currently, about half of the prison's 67 solitary cells are shared by two inmates.

As people are crowded into such tight spaces, inmates become increasingly irritable, adding to the growing workload of the correctional officers who manage them.

According to prison officials, only 18 correctional officers manage the entire population during the night shift.

This means each officer is responsible for supervising more than 40 inmates and preventing various incidents.

"Shouting matches between officers and inmates are a daily occurrence," said a 30-year-old correctional officer surnamed Son. "It is very common for officers to get kicked because agitated inmates cannot calm down."

In fact, last month, an officer was assaulted while checking on an inmate who had severely damaged the wallpaper in a cell.

Last March, an agitated inmate threatened an officer with a wheelchair and kicked the officer in the waist, causing bruises and other injuries.

"There is only one officer managing an entire floor," another officer said. "We cannot even carry safety batons because we don't know what might happen. Putting on protective gear helplessly is all we can do."

Frequent exposure to assaults, disturbances, and other incidents has also worsened the job stress of correctional officers.

According to the Ministry of Justice's 2024 "Mental Health Status Analysis of Correctional Officers," about 20 percent of the survey participants were identified as being in the "mental health risk group."

Their rate of having planned suicide was about 2.7 times higher than that of ordinary adults, and their rate of having attempted suicide was about 1.6 times higher.

The Ministry of Justice cited "heavy workload and staff shortages caused by overcrowding" as the primary source of job stress for correctional officers.

Correctional authorities worry that the poor conditions faced by inmates could weaken rehabilitation and correction efforts, thereby increasing the likelihood of recidivism and raising social costs.

In light of this, the Ministry of Justice is seeking a fundamental shift in its correctional policy.

Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho, who visited Cheongju Women's Prison on this day, said, "The purpose of correction is not simple incarceration, but preventing recidivism and protecting public safety. We will strengthen treatment and rehabilitation programs tailored to the characteristics of female inmates, and build a safe society that citizens can feel through drug addiction rehabilitation and support for reintegration into society."

He added, "We will make 2026 the inaugural year of correctional innovation, improving working conditions on the ground and pushing for policy reforms centered on treatment, rehabilitation, and social reintegration."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.