Prison Overcrowding in Indonesia Reaches 223 Percent: Watch Dog

TheIndonesia.id - The Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR) reports that the burden of detention centers and prisons to accommodate prisoners in Indonesia has reached 223 percent as of January 2022. The condition of excess capacity (overcrowding) in detention centers and prisons is the cause of various problems within detention and prisons.

The problems is including the practice of buying and selling basic facilities that allegedly occurred in detention until dozens of inmates died due to fires in prisons. Therefore, ICJR Executive Director Erasmus Napitupulu in a written release received in Jakarta, Sunday, February 6, 2022, urged various parties from the executive to the legislature to immediately take steps to reduce excess capacity.

“If the government is serious about overcoming the problem of overcrowding in detention centers and prisons, there are many things that can be done immediately. The Narcotics Law, which is the main problem so far, clearly needs more attention,” said Erasmus.

The government as the holder of executive power could drastically reduce the burden of detention and prisons by granting mass amnesty/ pardons to narcotics prisoners. Erasmus suggested the pardon could be granted to narcotics convicts jailed for using the banned substance for themselves. The reason is that the number of narcotics convicts currently dominates the number of inmates in detention centers and prisons in Indonesia.

ICJR also urged President Joko Widodo to instruct the police and prosecutors to use non-detention centers as alternatives, such as house arrest and city detention. "The government can also encourage the use of guarantee mechanisms that have been regulated in the Criminal Procedure Code," Erasmus explained as quoted by Antara.

ICJR also urged the President to ask the prosecutor to use Articles 14a and 14c of the Criminal Code when prosecuting narcotics users. Those articles allow for a conditional sentence with a probationary period and road rehabilitation or hospitalization based on need.

ICJR reports that the number of detainees in detention centers and prisons tends to increase. As of March 30, 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, the number of prisoners reached 270,721 people, while the capacity of detention centers and prisons was only 131,931 people. The burden of detention and prison at the beginning of the pandemic reached 205 percent. Then, the government issued a policy of accelerating assimilation at home, so that in August 2020 the burden of prisons and prisons was reduced to 175 percent.

However, that number will increase again in 2021. As of June 2021, the number of inmates in detention centers and prisons is 271,992 so the burden reaches 200 percent. "Until now in January 2022, the burden of prisons and prisons has reached 223 percent," ICJR said.