Bribery, vice part and parcel of prison life

Bribery, vice part and parcel of prison life

BOGOR (JP): Bribery has long been rampant in this country and
it comes as no surprise, therefore, that the practice even
extends to the country's prisons.

Those imprisoned for drug offenses, for example, can still buy
and safely smoke marijuana inside their cells without being
bothered by prison guards, given one condition: that of money.

At the Cipinang Penitentiary in Central Jakarta, a prisoner
told The Jakarta Post that he could even arrange sex for his
fellow inmates, with their partners or prostitutes, at a corner
of the prison complex, as long as they could provide both him and
the guards with a certain amount of money.

Of course, the prison's officials denied such acts were being
orchestrated on their turf.

According to a drug defendant in Bogor, it was easy to get any
kind of drug, such as marijuana, putaw (low-grade heroin) or
shabu-shabu (crystal methamphetamine), at Pledang prison, where
he was temporarily detained during the court hearing of his case.

Joni, not his real name, said the narcotics could be bought by
any prisoner or defendant from certain visitors and prison
guards.

"There are two special rooms allocated for people involved in
drug-related cases with room for 20 and 22 people each," he told
the Post recently while waiting for the hearing of his case at
the Bogor District Court.

"Half the prisoners still take drugs. Usually they take them
in the evening hours in the corner of the rooms," Joni said.

The people, he said, bought the drugs from prison guards.

"An envelope containing four rolls of marijuana sells for Rp
15,000, slightly higher than the street price of Rp 10,000. The
guards argue that the extra Rp 5,000 is for transportation fees,"
Joni said.

Money, he added, could buy anything inside the prison.

"It's not only about drugs. If you have enough money, you can
buy other illegal items, such as gambling coupons and booze.
Inmates could, he said, even buy the services of prostitutes.

Such unlawful practices, he said, usually took place at night
when control by senior officials of the prison was no longer as
tight.

"During the night hours, like the prisoners and defendants,
the guards also gamble and get drunk," Joni revealed.

If the people failed to deal with the guards or officials,
they were arrested on new charges of using drugs inside the
prison, he said, referring to a recent case in which four
prisoners were brought to the police for smoking marijuana.

Three of the men were finally incarcerated at the Sukamiskin
Penitentiary in Bandung, while the other was allowed to remain at
the Pledang prison.

"The man (allowed to stay behind) is my close friend. He
decided to settle the case by bribing the officials with Rp
400,000," Joni said.

His three friends failed to properly "approach" the police and
the prison officials, he explained.

Joni also said that the guards often acted as preman
(hoodlums), particularly if they saw that the prisoners just
received money from their visiting families or relatives.

"My family, for example, visit me once every two weeks and
give me at least Rp 70,000 per visit," he said.

But the money usually quickly vanished since he had to spend
Rp 22,000 on guards on both the day and night shifts, and also on
their bosses.

"The rest, I usually use to pay my debts and give to the other
guards that are still preying on me."

"It's a headache, not to mention the terror it causes," Joni
said. (24/bsr)