DPD: Prison Overcrowding Must Be Addressed Immediately

Semarang (ANTARA) - Muhdi, Deputy Chairman of Committee I of the Regional Representative Council (DPD RI), has said that the overcrowding experienced by correctional facilities (lapas) is a serious problem that must be addressed immediately.

Speaking in Semarang on Monday, Muhdi said that prisons face many challenges, the greatest of which is overcrowding.

He made the remarks during a Working Meeting for the Inventory of Oversight Materials on the Implementation of Law Number 20 of 2022 on Corrections.

Indeed, he said, Demak Prison in Central Java is reported to be housing around 300 per cent more inmates than its capacity.

“This is an extraordinary problem. Capacity is extremely limited, so efforts are needed to address it, including the possibility of transferring inmates and adding facilities,” he said.

At the meeting, the DPD RI summoned three prison governors considered representative of conditions in Central Java, namely Semarang Women’s Prison, Ambarawa Prison, and Demak Prison.

“The three prison governors attended in person and conveyed the various problems they face. This fairly well represents the condition of correctional institutions in Central Java,” he said.

In addition, Muhdi also highlighted the high number of narcotics offenders under supervision who reoffend after release, becoming recidivists.

He also revealed several other problems, such as Ambarawa Prison still occupying a borrowed building and the unavailability of permanent medical staff at a number of prisons.

“So doctors have to be brought in from outside. This is also quite a prominent problem,” he said.

According to him, prison governors face not only overcrowding but also limited human resources, minimal budgets, and the need to improve the career path of corrections officers.

Meanwhile, Darmalingganawati, governor of Semarang Women’s Prison, proposed that drug addicts be placed in rehabilitation centres more often rather than serving prison sentences.

According to her, this step could be one solution to the overcrowding faced by correctional institutions.

She noted that around 75 per cent of inmates at Semarang Women’s Prison are narcotics cases.