Inmates mark Idul Fitri in solitary revelry

Inmates mark Idul Fitri in solitary revelry

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Idul Fitri is usually a time for family gatherings, but many
inmates at Cipinang Penitentiary, East Jakarta, passed the day in
solitary revelry.

"It hurts to see my cell mates being visited by their families
and friends, while my parents are far away on Sumatra," 21-year-
old Raymon told The Jakarta Post after the Idul Fitri prayer on
Tuesday.

Raymon has served only half of his one-year sentence for a
drug conviction for possession of two packages of putaw, or low
grade heroin.

He was a fifth year student majoring in advertising at a
private university in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta.

"I was caught red-handed by policemen during a drug deal in
Cilandak, South Jakarta, but the dealer managed to escape," he
said.

Raymon said he bribed the judges with Rp 8 million (US$946) in
cash, but still got sentenced.

"The sentence crushed my will to complete my studies ... I
really hope to obtain a sentence reduction so that I can be with
my family soon," he said.

Another neglected inmate is Suyono, 61, who is behind bars for
raping his step-daughter, now 20 years old.

"My wife and other children never come to visit me. They must
hate me so much," sighed the Surabaya man, his hands trembling
from old age.

Suyono, a former construction worker, said he had served seven
months of his seven-year sentence. "I don't want to spend the
rest of my life behind bars. Maybe it's God's will. God has given
me the time to repent my wrongdoings."

He said he has a lot of time now to read the Koran and to pray
daily, the religious activities he had never observed before.

Raymon and Suyono were not as lucky as their 67 fellow
inmates, who were released on Tuesday.

Cipinang warden Djoko Marjo Sutrisno said the government had
granted sentence reductions to 56 of the freed inmates under the
Idul Fitri remission policy, which helped them complete their
sentences.

The inmate population at the penitentiary numbers 2,960, most
of whom -- about 1,600 -- were convicted for drug-related
offenses, said Djoko.