Antara, Jakarta – The Ministry of Law and Human Rights granted 2022 Christmas Special Remission to 14,057 Christian and Catholic inmates across Indonesia to appreciate their good behavior.
There are 19,728 Christian inmates across Indonesia, Public Relations and Protocol Coordinator at the Correctional Directorate General Rika Aprianti said in a statement on Saturday.
From all these prisoners that had met the requirements for receiving the Christmas remission, a total of 13,962 of them received RK I or half reduction.
This means that, after receiving the Christmas remission, they still have to serve the rest of their imprisonment terms.
Meanwhile, some 95 prisoners received the RK II Remission which means that after receiving remission, they are free on Christmas.
The highest number of prisoners that received the 2022 Christmas remission came from North Sumatera with 2,872 inmates followed by East Nusa Tenggara with 1,876 prisoners and Papua with 1,295 prisoners.
The legal foundation of remission provision comprises the Law No. 22 of 2022 on Correctional and Government Regulation No. 32 of 1999.
There are also Presidential Decree No. 174 of 1999 as well as Minister of Law and Human Rights Regulation No. 7 of 2022.
"Christmas Remission is the right of inmates that has met the administrative and substantive conditions in accordance to the law," she explained.
"This right is not just given as a means to reduce sentence, but also to improve prisoners' faith and motivation to become better," she continued.
Aprianti, on the behalf of the Correctional Directorate General, congratulated those celebrating Christmas and receiving the remission. She asked all prisoners to continue to improve themselves and their productivity.
"We expect that with this remission, inmates can enjoy Christmas," she said, adding that remission is one of the privileges for prisoners' efforts to improve themselves and serve God well.
Remission can also save the state's expense for inmates' food budget. Due to the 2022 Christmas Remission, it was recorded that the government managed to save Rp7,201,710,000.