KPK Chairman's Lament on the High Cost of Incarcerating Corruptors

KPK Chairman Setyo Budiyanto stated that handling detainees for corruption crimes is expensive. The state covers their food and clothing in detention.

This statement was made by Setyo during the launch of the Guidebook and Teaching Materials for Anti-Corruption Education (PAK) together with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Education in the Ministry of Home Affairs office, Jalan Medan Merdeka Utara, Central Jakarta, on Monday (11/5/2026). Setyo said that the state spends considerable funds on managing the basic needs of corruptors.

According to Setyo, this phenomenon encourages the KPK to strengthen the corruption prevention sector. He noted that while the KPK’s enforcement work against corruption continues, the costs incurred are greater than those for strengthening prevention aspects.

“With the hope that if we provide this (book) rather than focusing on upfront enforcement processes, it is better to carry out prevention processes. Enforcement will definitely be more expensive, from start to finish, and even in prison, they are still managed by the state—their food, clothes, uniforms, and so on,” said Setyo.

Setyo hopes that the Guidebook and Teaching Materials for Anti-Corruption Education will serve as a guide for children to recognise corrupt behaviour from an early age at the school level. He aims for these children to develop strong integrity and avoid corruption.

Instil Anti-Corruption from the Classroom

“We can leave behind what we might consider a sacred book; we regard this book as one created by fellow humans with all their shortcomings and limitations, but it is a guide or manual for anti-corruption that we can give to our children and grandchildren,” he explained.

Setyo mentioned that anti-corruption lessons must be instilled from a young age. According to him, anti-corruption should be taught in the classroom, not in the examination room.

“Instil that a future without corruption, a hope for today, tomorrow, and a future without corruption, does not start from the examination room, not from the investigation room, let alone the courtroom. But let us all agree that a future without corruption starts from the classroom,” he stated.