If prisons already have room rates, our question is no longer merely\nwhether luxury exists behind bars. The question is: what is the price,\nwho is selling, who is buying, and who is allowing this market to\nthrive?<\/p>\n
Stories like this are not new to Cibinong, Bogor, West Java.\nThroughout my approximately forty years as a journalist, news regarding\nspecial cells in correctional institutions has emerged repeatedly. The\nnames of the prisons change, the people change, the facilities change,\nthe Presidents change, and the Ministries change. However, the story of\nluxury cells in prisons is like a soap opera that frequently replaces\nits cast while the script remains the same.<\/p>\n
In 2018, Sukamiskin Prison in Bandung became the most famous example.\nDuring trial, Fahmi Darmawansyah admitted to paying Rp700 million to\nobtain a room with special facilities. Similar issues have surfaced in\nCipinang, Jakarta. The Ombudsman previously discovered differential\ntreatment for certain inmates, including cells intended for a single\nperson with private toilets and superior facilities. Salemba, Central\nJakarta, was also on the list; in 2010, reports mentioned rates for\nexclusive rooms at around Rp30 million.<\/p>\n
This implies that a \u201cprison cell\u201d does not always mean a room of the\nsame size and treatment. Behind the same walls, classes of comfort can\ngrow. In the Class IIB Blitar Prison, three corruption inmates were\nallegedly offered special rooms for a fee of Rp100 million. These three\ninmates even admitted to having paid approximately Rp60 million.\nAccording to the Head of the Blitar Prison, this practice has allegedly\nbeen ongoing since December 2025.<\/p>\n
Now, it is Cibinong\u2019s turn. On 23 September 2026, the Indonesian\nOmbudsman conducted a sudden inspection at the Class IIA Cibinong\nPrison. The team discovered more than ten buildings that resembled\nhouses or homestays. The Ombudsman found rooms equipped with sofas,\ntelevisions, refrigerators, dining tables, bedrooms, and other\nfacilities. Several luxury cars were also visible. The team met an\nindividual claiming to be an inmate residing in one of those\nbuildings.<\/p>\n
The individual admitted to paying a fee, though the amount remains\nunknown. We need to find out. Not to create a hotel catalogue inside a\nprison, but because money leaves a trail. If the commercialisation of\nhousing is indeed occurring, the payment figures could serve as an entry\npoint to uncover intermediaries, officers, officials, bank accounts,\ndecisions, and the networks that make such facilities available.<\/p>\n
After Cibinong, which prison will be next? We have seen examples in\nBandung, Jakarta, and Blitar. If this pattern reappears in Bogor, it\nmeans our oversight remains weak. Correctional institutions are closed\nenvironments; the public cannot move in and out to see what happens\nbehind the walls. Therefore, surveillance technology should be the first\nline of defence.<\/p>\n
Cibinong Prison was established in 2008 on approximately four\nhectares, or about 40,000 square metres. The complex is surrounded by\nwalls and features six watchtowers. While 40,000 square metres is not a\nbackyard, it is also not a regency-sized territory. We do not know how\nmany CCTVs are there, where they are positioned, or how the monitoring\nsystem operates. This is precisely what needs to be inspected.<\/p>\n
How many cameras are there? Is the entire area covered? Where are the\nblind spots? Who is monitoring? Are recordings checked regularly? How\nlong are they stored? Is access to recordings logged? Most importantly:\nif the cameras are indeed recording, why did the system fail to detect\nthis earlier? Cameras only see; it is humans who must think. Cameras can\nrecord buildings, vehicles, doors, and activities, but they do not\nautomatically ask: why is an inmate in this house? Why are there\nfacilities unavailable in other blocks? Who brought the goods? Who\ngranted the permission?<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-prison-cell-market-1790578658", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }