Kerobokan Prison Overloaded, Relocation to Melaya in Progress

Plans to relocate the Class II-A Kerobokan Penitentiary from Badung to Jembrana are beginning to take shape. A team from the Directorate General of Corrections (Ditjen PAS) has already visited the site prepared in Melaya subdistrict.

The Head of the Class II-B Negara Detention Centre, I Gusti Agus Putra Mahendra, confirmed the field inspection. The visit was conducted alongside the Bali Provincial Government last week.

“Yesterday, the site was inspected by the Director General, and also representatives from the Bali Provincial Government on 15 April 2026 in Persil, Melaya,” Mahendra stated when met by detikBali on Wednesday (22/4/2026).

Based on initial information, the land prepared for the new facility for inmates covers about 11 hectares. Its location is considered strategic as it lies along the main provincial route.

“From the information we received, the planned land area is 11 hectares and is located along the Denpasar-Gilimanuk road. Initially 10 hectares, with a possible addition of 1 hectare, but it’s not yet certain,” he explained.

In addition to relocating Kerobokan Penitentiary to the western part of the Island of the Gods, the government also plans to build a new detention centre in Mengwi, Badung. This detention centre will be built on 4 hectares of land.

The construction of the Mengwi detention centre is projected to facilitate legal processes, particularly for detainees undergoing trials in the Denpasar area and surroundings.

Regarding the plan to build a new penitentiary in Jembrana, Mahendra emphasised that it will not disrupt the existing Negara Detention Centre. According to him, the two institutions have technically different functions.

“Its function is different from the detention centre. The Negara Detention Centre will remain. After (detainees) become inmates, they will be transferred there (to the penitentiary). This can help reduce overcrowding,” he added.

Nevertheless, he stressed that the plan is still in the in-depth study stage. The administrative process to physical construction is said to require considerable time.

“The land inspection in Melaya is indeed true, but it’s still just a concept and the process is long because its feasibility is still being studied further,” Mahendra concluded.