City may help govt build more prison<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso and justice minister Hamid Awaluddin
\nmet here on Thursday to discuss the possibility of building a new
\nprison in the capital.<\/p>\n
Briefing the press after the meeting at City Hall, Sutiyoso
\nsaid that his administration had agreed to help the government
\nconstruct a new prison at the Salemba prison in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"The minister asked for our assistance to build a prison as
\nthe existing one is already overcrowded,\" said Sutiyoso.<\/p>\n
The city currently has only one prison, which now has 4,200
\ninmates, far above the ideal number of 700.<\/p>\n
Building a prison is legally the duty of the central
\ngovernment, in this case the Ministry of Justice and Human
\nRights, but minister Hamid requested the city administration on
\nThursday to help build one.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso said that he agreed with Hamid's proposal and would
\nallocate funds for the project from the 2006 city budget.<\/p>\n
He did not mention the amount to be allocated, saying only
\nthat it would depend on the financial condition of his
\nadministration.<\/p>\n
According to the governor, Hamid offered 10 hectares of land
\nin Tangerang municipality for the new prison should the city find
\nthe Salemba prison compound too small to construct a new
\nbuilding.<\/p>\n
\"This (Thursday) evening, I will visit Salemba prison to
\ndetermine whether it is possible to build a new prison there,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Jakarta, which has a total population of around 8.5 million,
\nis among the rich administrations in the country. The city's 2005
\nbudget, for example, stood at over Rp 14 trillion (around US$1.4
\nbillion).<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso is planning to raise the budget to nearly Rp 17
\ntrillion in 2006.<\/p>\n
The city administration had previously helped the police to
\nconstruct a drug detention center at Jakarta Police Headquarters
\nand purchased a number of patrol cars.<\/p>",
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