Criminologist Discusses Modern Prison Systems: The State Should Not Incur Losses
The Directorate General of Corrections (Ditjenpas), under the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections (Kemenimipas), is promoting the empowerment of inmates or prisoners through work training and skills development. This correctional management approach is moving towards the theory of The Economics of Crime and Punishment.
Immigration and Corrections Minister Agus Andrianto has made Nusakambangan Island a pilot project for food security by organising agricultural, plantation, livestock and fishery activities, as well as MSMEs through the establishment of a convection work training centre, an organic fertiliser processing facility, a fly ash bottom ash (FABA) brick workshop and others. Agus has encouraged his staff to utilise idle or unused land.
“For food, there is actually no need to source it from outside. Utilise the land for industry, chicken farming, cattle farming and so on for internal needs. Do not buy from outside. Prisons should be directed towards being self-sufficient. There is human resources and other resources that can be utilised,” said University of Indonesia criminologist Professor Muhammad Mustofa when contacted by detikcom on Friday (14/8/2026).
He hopes that economic activities inside prisons will be managed professionally, if referring to the theory of The Economics of Crime and Punishment. He also considers the rehabilitation theory used to guide inmates to be outdated.
“So this industry should not just be an activity, but a truly professional industrial activity. Therefore, the managers must be professionals,” said Mustofa.
“The implementation of corrections in Indonesia is based on rehabilitation theory, where people believe, or the theorists believe, that lawbreakers can have their behaviour corrected. But that theory is outdated,” he continued.
Mustofa revealed that there has been a meta-analysis on prisoner rehabilitation theory. The results showed very little evidence of success in rehabilitation-based guidance.
“Because research has not found strong evidence that prisoner rehabilitation is successful. There is research called meta-analysis, which analyses hundreds of studies on the guidance or rehabilitation of lawbreakers. And it only found very little evidence of success,” Mustofa explained.
Regarding The Economics of Crime and Punishment, Mustofa said the theory was first introduced by Gary Stanley Becker, a Nobel Prize winner in economics.
“There is a concept from Nobel Economics Prize winner Gary S Becker, who developed the theory of The Economics of Crime and Punishment. He said that prison sentences are inefficient and expensive, with costs exceeding benefits,” Mustofa explained.
“For example, if someone steals a motorbike, the loss is perhaps 10 million rupiah. Processing a motorbike thief, from arrest, detention, feeding, trial, sentencing, feeding again and so on, costs more than 10 million,” he continued.
Based on Becker’s theory, Mustofa explained, the state actually loses money economically through the existing legal process. Mustofa said Becker instead recommended fines and community service as criminal sanctions.
“From an economic perspective, the state loses. Therefore, Gary S Becker proposed replacing prison sentences with fines, or other punishments such as community service. In Western countries, at least in the Netherlands, minor crimes where the victim’s loss is relatively small by Dutch standards are not processed, unless caught in the act,” he said.
Mustofa said that under the theory of The Economics of Crime and Punishment, prison management is carried out by providing work activities. Inmates are kept busy working and given compensation for their work, so they are not preoccupied with thoughts of escaping.
“It is not about building high walls, but giving them activities. What activities? Industrial work activities. There are industrial activities inside the prison building so that when people work, their minds do not wander. They work because they receive compensation and bonuses, not minimum wage, but there is compensation,” Mustofa explained.
He then cited Singapore as an example. Mustofa said profits from industrial activities inside prisons are used to improve prison facilities and operations.
“The proceeds from prison industries are returned to improve prison conditions. That is the modern approach now. Managing prisons should not cause the state to lose money. The state should not keep spending money, as people used to think of prison as a free hotel,” said Mustofa.
“Now the thinking should be that people entering prison must pay, but not with money like corruptors do, but by working. Generating money to improve prison conditions. The state should not keep spending money, but should generate income for internal improvements,” he concluded.
Mustofa further said that Ditjenpas under Kemenimipas cannot manage prison industries alone. He suggested Ditjenpas explore cooperation with Danantara.
“But the managers must be business experts, not correctional officers, who do not understand anything. In Singapore, the prison industry is managed by an entity like Indonesia’s Danantara,” said Mustofa.
Mustofa said Danantara could be involved as an investor. “So Danantara invests in correctional institutions according to their respective capabilities, climate and surrounding economy,” he continued.