Jakarta – The Jakarta administration conceded Thursday that high levels of overcrowding and low levels of staffing in city prisons may have left the door wide open for four inmates to escape from Cipinang Penitentiary on Tuesday.

"Prisoners sleep like sardines packed in a can. We need to take this matter seriously and do something about it," Jakarta Deputy Governor Fauzi Bowo said after meeting with officials from the Justice and Human Rights Ministry to discuss plans to improve prison conditions.

Jakarta has three main prisons: Salemba Penitentiary in Central Jakarta, Cipinang Penitentiary in East Jakarta and Pondok Bambu Penitentiary in East Jakarta.

Salemba prison has a maximum capacity of 826 prisoners but, as of Feb. 13, it houses 4,562 inmates, who are watched over by 255 guards. Pondok Bambu women's prison has 1,732 inmates – though its maximum capacity is 504 – and 234 guards. The main Cipinang prison, which has a maximum capacity of 1,789, houses 4,257 prisoners.

The ministry's Director General of Penitentiary Security Djoko Mardjo said generally there are 45 inmates to a cell, which are designed to accommodate seven. Djoko said overcrowding in prisons inevitably led to lapses in security.

The four escaped from Cipinang Penitentiary early on Tuesday by punching a hole through an outer wall. The escapees were identified as Yonathan Womsiwor, who was serving an 11-year sentence for murder; Luhur Subagyo Utomo, who was sentenced to eight years for dealing drugs; Bambang, who was sentenced to three-and-a-half years for drug possession; and Willy Pranata, who was serving nine years for bank robbery.

Shortages of guards in city prisons may have increased inmates' chances of escape. "It has been suggested that we recruit more guards to bolster security. But we have to recognize the costs are high – we have to pay their salaries every month until they retire," Djoko said.

Ideally, there should be one guard to five prisoners, he added. "At present, one guard has to watch over 60 or 70. I think we can still guarantee security but not orderliness. For instance, the prisoners are not allowed to bring money or cell phones inside, but we sometimes find those things on their personage," he said.

The ministry's Director General of Penitentiaries Mardjaman agreed with Djoko. "It's a classic problem, but that's a fact, we are lacking facilities and guards. We are constructing new buildings and replacing the old ones in the Salemba and Cipinang prisons. The new building in the eastern part of Cipinang prison can hopefully start taking inmates next April – while we are constructing a hospital for the prisoners and more cells," he said.

Although high-end security systems are standard in prisons overseas, Mardjaman said such a system was a long way off here. "It is costly, we don't have the money," he said.

In a related development, Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani said he was coordinating with the West Java Police, East Java Police and Lampung Police to recapture the escapees. "They come from those three areas, and it is likely they will return to their hometowns," Firman said.