Improving our prisons

Improving our prisons

Even under the best of circumstances, a prison is obviously
not a happy place to be. But under the conditions that reportedly
prevail in so many of our prisons, it is not difficult to
comprehend why inmates are often so easily incited to react with
violence to mistreatment or injustices, either real or perceived.

The latest example was last Wednesday's prison riot, in which
hundreds of inmates of Surabaya's high-security Medaeng prison
ran amok, setting fire to prison buildings in which 575 people
were being held.

Although a final verdict on the causes and circumstances
surrounding the riot are yet to be announced, the incident was a
painful reminder of a similar episode that rocked the Tanjung
Gusta prison in Medan, North Sumatra, in March last year. Six
inmates died in that incident.

In January last year, a group of inmates attacked wardens in
the Becora prison in Dili, East Timor. One prisoner died, eight
escaped and 47 were injured. Seven prison officials had to be
hospitalized. Prison brawls also reportedly occurred in
Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi, Tangerang in West Java and Lahat,
South Sumatra.

It has been said that the Medaeng prison riot was caused by
the unequal treatment of inmates by prison officials. As reported
by the press, the prisoners were unhappy with the way prison
officials treated different groups of inmates. While many of the
prisoners slept on mats, others were said to enjoy special
privileges, such as having mattresses to sleep on, being allowed
to watch television and have cellular phones.

While few of us are in a position to personally confirm such
allegations, the stories told by a few former inmates are enough
to make such assertions believable. In fact, a few spectacular
prison escapes of the recent past have been widely attributed to
the abuse of special privileges.

But wrong as all this may be from the egalitarian point of
view, discrimination is but one of the afflictions that burdens
our prison system. Legal expert Harkristuti Harkrisnowo believes
that one of the reasons for the Medaeng prison riot was
overcrowding, which bred aggressiveness among inmates.

Bad sanitary conditions and inadequate food are other factors
which are believed to lead to unrest in our prisons. Ade Rostina
Sitompul, a winner of the 1995 Yap Thiam Hien Human Rights Award
for dedicating her life to helping prisoners, said these
conditions have yet to be properly addressed.

The groundwork for improvement is laid out in our Law on
Correctional Institutions, dated December 31, 1995, which says
that prisons are for the education of inmates so they can become
useful, law-abiding citizens. But many experts advocate an even
stronger human approach. Harkristuti, for example, says prison
officials should remember that, even in prison, inmates retain
their basic human rights, such as access to decent facilities,
food and social interaction.

Given the latest reports of unrest in our prisons -- not to
mention escapes and attempted escapes -- it seems that the time
has come for a more serious look into our prison system. The will
to improve things, we are sure, is already there. Money may be a
major constraint, but providing better training and better
remuneration for our prison staff would be a good beginning.