Bill expected to handle distinct crimes
JAKARTA (JP): A new bill on the correctional system is expected to better equip the authorities to deal with the increasingly diverse and sophisticated crimes, says Minister of Justice Oetojo Oesman.
The bill, submitted by the government in late March, is now under deliberation in the House of Representatives.
"Because of the increasingly obscure boundaries between countries...foreigners, too, represent potential criminals and may have to be imprisoned here," the minister said in the second plenary session on the bill yesterday.
In light of the new trends, Indonesia "needs to establish patterns, regulations and systems of rehabilitation...which guarantee the safety of the national interest," he told the meeting, presided over by Deputy House Speaker Soerjadi.
Oetojo said that the proposed law was expected to change the prevailing attitude of correctional institution administrators towards convicts.
It will introduce the principle of imprisonment as preparation for the return of convicts to society, rather than as an act of "vengeance and intimidation" on the part of the state, he said.
The Indonesian correctional system, he said, would in future stress the provision of guidance, including "prevention, healing and education".
These principles would represent a fundamental change to the correctional system, which used to stress "vengeance and intimidation" against convicts, he said.
The law will also set out ways in which convicts can be provided with the necessary skills to survive and be useful members of society.
"This preparation...will give convicts knowledge, skills and spiritual guidance through independence- and personality-building programs," he said.
"Whether this effort will be successful depends on the convicts in question and on society in general. This question is beyond the responsibility of the correctional institutions," he said.
Oetojo said the law, if passed, would also regulate issues such as family leave, efforts to promote the welfare of wardens and possible cooperation with business ventures in enhancing convicts' skills.
Regarding leave for convicts, Oetojo said it would be regulated further in government directives.
The bill will replace some laws and regulations inherited from the Dutch colonial administration and still in force.
Set to be changed are regulations on imprisonment, parole, enforced education and conditional release.
Oetojo's explanation of the bill, which was given in response to the House factions' previous queries, also covered the issue of improving the professionalism of prison guards and career planning programs for prison staff.
Chapter eight of the bill covers requirements for the promotion of wardens, including the stipulation that they should have an appropriate educational background.
The bill also regulates the working hours and other conditions of wardens' work, taking into account the risks involved. The government is considering providing the guards with additional benefits in view of the nature of their work.
Alumni of a government academy which trains and educates wardens complained earlier this year that their welfare had been neglected and asked for better facilities. (swe)