The following applies to Thailand. Other countries probably treat this issue similarly.

In the land of Thai, it depends on the reason you're being deported and your nationality. I only know about deportations due to visa overstays for folks from the USA, Britain, Canada, Australia, and NZ.

If you're from one of these countries and you've overstayed on a visa for longer than about a week, you'll be arrested and be sent immediately to the immigration jail. But hold on--it gets better.

If you are arrested for running on a dead visa, the immigration police won't make a side trip to your hotel room/flat to allow you to collect your shit while carting you off to the immigration 'hotel'. Nope, you get arrested and then taken straight to the hole.

After you arrive in the can, the immigration police here will arrange a government official from your embassy to visit you. I've heard it takes only a day or two after that meeting, if you get arrested during the week, to get you on the plane that takes you outta here. If you get busted on a Friday evening you're gonna be sitting in the Hilton for a few days.

The day of your flight, you will be taken from the jail directly to the airport--no stops at your hotel room/flat to collect your stuff. You say you need to make a run to your hotel room to get your wallet/atm cards/thousand-dollar watch your dad gave you for your 15th birthday? Well, you'd better have someone who can go get that for you. If not, you'll be SOL. Maybe the embassy official can help you out there. Maybe not. I suspect that the official WILL, as how else are you going to pay for the flight? Youre embassy won't be picking up the tab, nor will the Thai government.

So if you're gonna run on dead documents, again, be sure you have all your stuff with you. If your overstay is only a few days, you won't be arrested, but you'll be paying a fine of 500 baht (effective March 15) per day. Anything over a week and you'll probably find yourself in handcuffs.

One final great benefit of being deported from Thailand: you won't be allowed back EVER.

Remember, this is what I've READ. I don't personally know anyone who was kicked out of Thailand, so maybe there are creative ways to avoid deportation. If you're on your 20th YEAR overstaying your visa, and you get stopped by an immigration cop, perhaps a rather large bribe and a smile will get you through to your 21st year. Then again.........