Jakarta – While it is an unspoken truism that most penitentiaries in the country face the enduring problem of overcapacity and lack of funding, the arrival of certain inmates is having a significant impact on the lives of other prisoners.
The new boys, or girls, are those with fat wallets, and when they set foot in their cells, for other inmates it could mean better meals or rewarding jobs.
Findings by the judicial corruption eradication task force earlier this month confirmed a public secret: Rich inmates paid for and received special treatment. But a discussion on Tuesday showed that other inmates have benefitted from this as well.
"Prison food is nutritionally very poor. But when a cukong (patron) appears, the menu soon changes and prisoners can enjoy (fried) fish," Ruhut Sitompul, a member of the House of Representatives' Commission III overseeing legal affairs, said.
When he was chairman of youth organization Pemuda Pancasila, Ruhut spent nearly two months at the Jakarta Police detention center in the 1990s. He also said that when rich inmates received air-conditioned cells, other inmates would get better cells.
"I firmly believe that when Artalyta was moved, the other inmates at Pondok Bambu (Correctional Facility) missed her. When she went, so did their benefits," he added, referring to Artalyta Suryani, who was relocated to Tangerang penitentiary on Jan. 15 after the task force found the corruption convict living in a spacious air-conditioned cell, furnished with a large-screen LCD TV and receiving regular beauty treatments. She also had a spacious karaoke lounge.
The finding led to the axing of several officials at the Pondok Bambu penitentiary and at the regional office of the Justice and Human Rights Ministry.
Pondok Bambu Correctional Facility chief warden Sarju Wibowo was replaced by Catur Budi Patayatin earlier this month. Minister Patrialis Akbar also said Tuesday that he would reassign several officials at the ministry's Directorate General of Prisons in early February.
It was later reported that in Tangerang Penitentiary, Artalyta refused to eat and cried, complaining about the small cell she had to share with two other inmates.
But the classic problems of penitentiaries remain and the ministry's response to them seems little more than a quick fix.
"Police, prosecutors and judges continue to imprison people who don't necessarily belong there," University of Indonesia sociologist Imam Prasodjo said.
He cited the case of Mak Minah, a 55-year-old woman who had to serve more than a month in prison for stealing three cacao beans late last year.
"A prison is a place where all kinds of criminals are placed together and even share the same cell; they have white collar criminals and blue collar criminals interacting with one another when the correctional method for the two should be different," he said.
Ruhut pledged the House would prioritize the deliberation of the new Criminal Code. The bill has been stagnating at the House for the last 10 years. "I will also fight to increase the budget for penitentiary management," he said.
The Directorate General of Prisons received a budget of Rp 111 billion (US$11.1 million) in 2009, down from Rp 149 billion a year earlier. The budget for this year is Rp 114 billion. (adh)