Bill on correctional system

Bill on correctional system

JAKARTA (JP): The government yesterday presented to the House
of Representatives a bill on the correctional system, seeking to
reaffirm the principle of imprisonment as a means of
rehabilitation rather than punishment.

Minister of Justice Oetojo Oesman, on behalf of the
government, said during the first deliberation of the bill at a
plenary session of the House that it was high time the principle
of rehabilitation, first introduced in 1964, was incorporated
into the national legislation

After more than 30 years of applying the principle, subjecting
it to tests and reviews, the government prepared the draft law to
provide a strong legal foundation to the correctional system in
Indonesia, Oetojo said.

The principle of rehabilitation applies to both convicts and
delinquent juveniles who are put under state care, he said as
reported by Antara.

The bill stipulates that convicts and juvenile offenders are
entitled to counseling and guidance while in correctional
institutions, so that they can return to society as responsible
citizens useful to the country, he said.

According to the bill, imprisonment should not be seen as an
act of vengeance by the state.

The principle, however, does not seem to apply to offenses
that carry the death penalty, such as subversion, drug
trafficking and some types of murder.

The bill will replace some of the laws and regulations still
in existence which Indonesia inherited from the Dutch colonial
administration and which need replacing. They include regulations
on imprisonment, on parole, on enforced education and conditional
release, according to Antara. (emb)