Are Pure 'Prison-Style' Cafes Becoming Popular? Netizens Say: That's So 'Criminal'!

The Rise of Prison-Themed Cafés: A New Trend in Southeast Asia

When thinking of café styles, most people might immediately imagine wooden tones and clean, fresh décor. However, as people yearn for novel experiences, such cafés have become outdated! In recent years, Southeast Asia and other parts of Asia have seen the emergence of purely "prison" themed cafés! Yes, you read that right! Some of these cafés are converted from former prisons, while others are simply decorated in prison style.

Why choose prison style instead of other themes? Firstly, to encourage inmates to strive toward positive behavior; secondly, to remind people of life behind bars and deter them from illegal activities; thirdly, to help people overcome prejudice against those who have gone astray but are genuinely remorseful.

Thailand: The Pioneer

Thailand was the first to establish prison-themed cafés. Initially, these cafés weren't located within prisons but were staffed by inmates serving their sentences. These staff members were individuals who had already served part of their sentence, had relatively short remaining terms, and showed no intention of escaping. In early 2018, the Thai Ministry of Justice launched this vocational training program, hoping they could learn professional coffee brewing, food preparation, and customer service skills, enabling them to return to society with valuable abilities. Prison authorities also discovered that these inmates became more moderate in behavior after interacting with the public.

Although people with a remorseful heart aren't forever defined by their past mistakes, the public still harbors some apprehension toward those with criminal records. To help people better understand these individuals seeking to reform, the Thai Ministry of Justice decided in 2020 to develop half of Thailand's 143 prisons into tourist attractions, adding cafés, restaurants, and handicraft shops to help more former inmates reintegrate better with society.

Expansion to Other Countries

Inspired by Thailand, Laos also opened a prison-themed café in 2021. Although not directly converted from an actual prison, its interior design was even more prison-like than real prisons. A glance reveals cold iron bars everywhere and dim lighting. Despite the tidy and clean decor, the visual impact creates an invisible pressure on visitors.

Besides Thailand and Laos, Malaysia also opened its first prison café this February, located next to the Malacca Jail Museum. This site was once part of a regional prison that later became a prison museum. After conversion into a café, the establishment preserved the original prison cells and the final message room where death row inmates wrote their last words, allowing people to understand more directly what a "real" prison looks like.

The prison cells were converted into a bar counter and customer service area, while the message room maintained its original appearance and became a VIP room. Inside, messages of "confession" and wishes from visitors cover the dilapidated walls, creating an invisible pressure that strikes directly at the soul...

The owner of this prison café mentioned that his father was a warden at a correctional facility, giving him understanding of the people there since childhood. He believes that most people, with proper guidance, can reform and become good citizens again, but society doesn't always view them this way... Thus, he decided to open a prison café to change public perception of those who have gone astray. The café's interior was designed and arranged in close collaboration with the Malacca Henry Gurney Correctional Center. The biscuits and handicrafts sold are also handmade by the correctional center's residents.

The owner also stated that they plan to hire former inmates in the future and provide them with training, giving them opportunities for rebirth and establishment in society.

The Impact and Purpose

Perhaps to many, these prison cafés might seem like mere gimmicks, but they have genuinely helped many people who have gone astray, giving them opportunities for reform. Most servers who worked in Thai prison cafés were imprisoned for drug trafficking and had no legitimate jobs before incarceration, living aimlessly. It wasn't until they started learning skills at the cafés that they began to feel hopeful about the future. They also expressed that during their prison time, they had opportunities to reflect on their past mistakes, and upon release, they would reform and not return to their wrong paths, so as not to disappoint those who care about them.

Prison-Themed Cafés in China

Last January, Hangzhou also opened a prison-themed café. Unlike those in Southeast Asia, the domestic version appears less "hardcore," extending more from modern industrial style with the addition of iron doors and bars to create a prison-like feel. These unique coffee shops provide consumers with more interesting and engaging new scene consumption experiences.

The personalized design attracted a large number of consumers to take photos, to the extent that the shop eventually had to issue a "strict rule" that "photo-taking requires a ticket, 50 yuan per person." The shop owner stated at the time that introducing this regulation was "truly unavoidable" because too many people were coming in to "share orders" and "freeload photoshoots." They had to implement a "ticket system" to ensure the café's normal operation and the user experience for most customers...

Image source: Internet, kinkab bud, Dongfang News

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