Multa Fidrus, Tangerang – Widespread infection of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in prisons has resulted in the deaths of two young men incarcerated in Tangerang Youth Penitentiary.
Asep, 28, and Zulfikar, 26, died after being transferred from the prison's clinic and treated at the Tangerang General Hospital for HIV-related infections. Their deaths bring the penitentiary's HIV-related death toll to 54.
Last year the prison recorded 50 deaths from HIV-related infections. But this year's tally shows a staggering increase.
Director general of correctional institutions at the Justice and Human Rights Ministry revealed earlier this month that 72.5 percent of deaths last year in prison were caused by infections including high fever, tuberculosis, pneumonia, hepatitis, diarrhea and thrush – all of which were related to HIV/AIDS. In Jakarta alone last year, 351 of 19,000 prisoners died.
Of the 116,000 people serving jail terms in more than 300 penitentiaries and prisons nationwide, 32,000 were imprisoned for drug cases. Seventy percent of those convicted in drug cases were drug users. The rapid spread of HIV behind bars is mostly blamed on rampant drug abuse and unprotected sex.
Asep died earlier last week, while Zulfikar passed away last Saturday evening. Zulfikar's parents have claimed their son's body, while Asep's body still lies in the hospital's morgue.
During The Jakarta Post's last visit to the penitentiary on April 14, Zulfikar admitted it was hard for him to avoid drugs in prison because of peer pressure.
"I cannot remember when exactly I got infected with HIV. I got weaker and weaker since (last) November," he said before adding drugs could easily be obtained in prison, as long as he was willing to share needles with others.
He also said drugs could easily be smuggled into the prison by visitors. "Officers' control here is very weak, unlike in Salemba where they use computers to monitor visitors. "And even then drugs could still be smuggled into Salemba prison, let alone into the Tangerang prison," he said.
Drugs are either smuggled quietly by visitors who are able trick ignorant officers – or they are smuggled openly by hiring officers as couriers, Zulfikar said. "Most prefer the second method because it is believed to be the safest way," he said.
Warden Kosad Purwanto blamed overcrowding and poor healthcare and sanitation as the main causes behind the 54 deaths. "The prison is designed for 800 people but it accommodates 3,602 inmates now," he said, adding that 85 percent of inmates in the prison were drug users.
He denied any involvement by his officers in the distribution of drugs in prison. "If you can prove that my officers help distribute drugs to inmates, please bring them to me," he said.
Kosod admitted that drug distribution in prison still occurred because of the unbalanced ratio of prison officers to inmates. "Clearly, it is hard to control 3,606 inmates with 40 officers," he said.
A Tangerang Health Agency survey of 150 inmates in the prison last year revealed only 10 inmates had been infected with HIV. It was unclear though whether or not these inmates already had HIV before being sent to prison.
No harm-reduction efforts have been officially carried out in prisons except for those efforts made by non-governmental institutions. The government has planned to resolve its prison over-capacity issues by building a new penitentiary in Jambe district, Tangerang regency.