Nivell Rayda – At least Rp 14.5 billion ($1.6 million) in bribes is paid annually at East Jakarta's Cipinang Penitentiary, a researcher from an antigraft watchdog said on Friday.
"When a single family member pays a visit to Cipinang Penitentiary, they have to bring anything from Rp 100,000 to Rp 250,000 with them," said Illian Deta Arthasari, from Indonesia Corruption Watch.
"First they have to 'rent' a vest for the inmate in question and then they have to pay each guard anywhere from Rp 10,000 to Rp 20,000," she said. "And there are 10 guards in total."
Illian said similar practices occurred in prisons throughout the country. She added that the figures were based on interviews last year with inmates' families.
"Officially, these facilities are free. In practice, if they refuse to pay, they can forget about seeing their loved ones," she said.
Illian said there were 200 visitors to Cipinang on any given day, which added up to at least Rp 5.2 billion in illegal fees per year from visits alone.
"This figure does not include special requests, such as privacy – officials charge more for sofas and private rooms," she said.
Illian added that inmates were asked to pay anything from Rp 2 million to Rp 10 million for the processing of parole and remission applications. There are at least 1,500 applicants at the penitentiary each year.
On Thursday, the ICW presented its information to the presidentially appointed Judicial Mafia Eradication Task Force. Denny Indrayana, secretary of the task force, said the figure had surprised the team.
"This is what's occurring in Cipinang Penitentiary. What about the one in Pondok Bambu or other prisons? This is astonishingly disturbing," the presidential adviser said.
Accompanied by members of the media, the task force recently conducted a surprise inspection at the Pondok Bambu Women's Penitentiary. Officials discovered that certain high-profile inmates, including businesswoman Artalyta Suryani, sentenced to five years in prison in 2008 for bribing a state prosecutor, enjoyed special privileges – including spa treatments, air-conditioning and LCD televisions.
Justice Minister Patrialis Akbar appeared blind to the scale of the problem. "I have contacted the Cipinang Penitentiary chief directly. He assured me that there are no illegal fees," Patrialis said.
Asjudin Rana, head of Jakarta's Penitentiary Office, said such practices continued despite reform efforts.
"It's like biting without any teeth," he said, emphasizing that higher ranking prison officials officially made only about Rp 2.5 million per month. Compounding the problem, the current state budget for prisons covers only a third of their operational costs.
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has, however, recently announced an extra Rp 1 trillion to build 20 to 30 new prisons and address severe overcrowding.