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Indonesia The Penal System
Indonesia's 441 prisons were administered by the
Department
of Corrections within the Department of Justice and
included
three categories of prisons based mainly on the number of
inmates
they could hold. The nine largest, or Class I prisons,
held
prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment or death.
A 1990 study of Indonesian prison conditions conducted
by
Asia Watch found conditions harsh in most cases. Poor
food,
unsanitary conditions, and inadequate medical care were
common,
as were mistreatment and corruption. Overcrowding in
ancient and
inadequate facilities also occurred. The study noted the
need for
better training of prison personnel and renovation of
prison
facilities.
Several specialized prisons for women and two for
youths were
located in Java. Where it was not possible to confine such
prisoners in separate institutions, as was usually the
case
outside of Java, efforts were made to segregate juvenile
from
adult offenders and females from males in separate
sections of
the same institution. Ordinarily, prisoners were permitted
visits
by family members and could receive limited amounts of
food and
other articles to supplement the minimal supplies they
were
issued. Under some circumstances, prisoners were permitted
to
spend their nights at home. Most prisons tried to provide
medical
service of some kind, although it was generally regarded
as
inadequate.
Rehabilitation provisions included literacy classes,
moral
and religious training, and workshops to teach crafts and
skills.
Some prisons operated small industries or agricultural
enterprises that sold their products on the local market.
Proceeds were used to pay a small wage to the working
inmates, to
buy recreational equipment, and to maintain buildings and
grounds. In some prisons, inmates worked in fields outside
the
prison confines.
Although regular prisons often housed both convicted
criminals and political prisoners, the latter were kept
isolated
from other prisoners. Political prisoners were also held
in Kodam
headquarters and in separate labor camps and detention
facilities
staffed by military personnel.
Between 1969 and 1979, Kopkamtib ran a separate penal
colony
on Buru Island for Group B prisoners, who were convicted
on
charges of indirect involvement in the 1965 attempted
coup. In
late 1979, following the nationwide release of Group B
prisoners,
the penal colony on Buru Island was closed and the island
was
designated a transmigration site.
Many released prisoners faced problems in reintegrating
themselves into society because families were often shamed
by the
prisoner's incarceration or feared they would be
discriminated
against by officials or neighbors should they continue
association with the released prisoners. In 1981 the
nation's
first prisoner's aid society was privately formed in
Jakarta to
help released prisoners overcome some of these
difficulties and
to find employment. Released political prisoners detained
in
connection with the 1965 attempted coup encountered
particular
problems upon their return to society. Their
identification
cards, which all Indonesians carry, had special markings
indicating their status. Former political prisoners were
denied
employment in the civil service, the armed forces, and in
essential industries. They were able to vote but could not
hold
any elected office. In some parts of the country they were
required to check in regularly with local authorities and
to
inform them of their movements.
Data as of November 1992
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