Improving our prisons<\/p>\n
Even under the best of circumstances, a prison is obviously
\nnot a happy place to be. But under the conditions that reportedly
\nprevail in so many of our prisons, it is not difficult to
\ncomprehend why inmates are often so easily incited to react with
\nviolence to mistreatment or injustices, either real or perceived.<\/p>\n
The latest example was last Wednesday's prison riot, in which
\nhundreds of inmates of Surabaya's high-security Medaeng prison
\nran amok, setting fire to prison buildings in which 575 people
\nwere being held.<\/p>\n
Although a final verdict on the causes and circumstances
\nsurrounding the riot are yet to be announced, the incident was a
\npainful reminder of a similar episode that rocked the Tanjung
\nGusta prison in Medan, North Sumatra, in March last year. Six
\ninmates died in that incident.<\/p>\n
In January last year, a group of inmates attacked wardens in
\nthe Becora prison in Dili, East Timor. One prisoner died, eight
\nescaped and 47 were injured. Seven prison officials had to be
\nhospitalized. Prison brawls also reportedly occurred in
\nUjungpandang, South Sulawesi, Tangerang in West Java and Lahat,
\nSouth Sumatra.<\/p>\n
It has been said that the Medaeng prison riot was caused by
\nthe unequal treatment of inmates by prison officials. As reported
\nby the press, the prisoners were unhappy with the way prison
\nofficials treated different groups of inmates. While many of the
\nprisoners slept on mats, others were said to enjoy special
\nprivileges, such as having mattresses to sleep on, being allowed
\nto watch television and have cellular phones.<\/p>\n
While few of us are in a position to personally confirm such
\nallegations, the stories told by a few former inmates are enough
\nto make such assertions believable. In fact, a few spectacular
\nprison escapes of the recent past have been widely attributed to
\nthe abuse of special privileges.<\/p>\n
But wrong as all this may be from the egalitarian point of
\nview, discrimination is but one of the afflictions that burdens
\nour prison system. Legal expert Harkristuti Harkrisnowo believes
\nthat one of the reasons for the Medaeng prison riot was
\novercrowding, which bred aggressiveness among inmates.<\/p>\n
Bad sanitary conditions and inadequate food are other factors
\nwhich are believed to lead to unrest in our prisons. Ade Rostina
\nSitompul, a winner of the 1995 Yap Thiam Hien Human Rights Award
\nfor dedicating her life to helping prisoners, said these
\nconditions have yet to be properly addressed.<\/p>\n
The groundwork for improvement is laid out in our Law on
\nCorrectional Institutions, dated December 31, 1995, which says
\nthat prisons are for the education of inmates so they can become
\nuseful, law-abiding citizens. But many experts advocate an even
\nstronger human approach. Harkristuti, for example, says prison
\nofficials should remember that, even in prison, inmates retain
\ntheir basic human rights, such as access to decent facilities,
\nfood and social interaction.<\/p>\n
Given the latest reports of unrest in our prisons -- not to
\nmention escapes and attempted escapes -- it seems that the time
\nhas come for a more serious look into our prison system. The will
\nto improve things, we are sure, is already there. Money may be a
\nmajor constraint, but providing better training and better
\nremuneration for our prison staff would be a good beginning.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/improving-our-prisons-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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