Money makes the world go round behind bars

Money makes the world go round behind bars

By Imanuddin

JAKARTA (JP): Who says life is hard in a correctional
facility? For people with cash to splash or any other clout, life
in jail can apparently be pleasant.

During a recent unannounced visit to the Cipinang penitentiary
in East Jakarta, Minister of Justice Oetojo Oesman was surprised
to find that businessman Eddy Tansil, who is serving a 20-year
term for corruption, has a color TV set and a fan inside his
cell, items considered luxuries even for the average Indonesian.

The finding did not outrage only Oetojo. Several members of
the House of Representatives suggested that Eddy should be sent
to the high security prison island of Nusa Kambangan off the
southern coast of Central Java.

Eddy's case highlights what four former inmates say is normal
practice in Indonesian prisons, and has the potential of inciting
trouble and riots in jails.

This envy of fellow inmates' privileges, they said in separate
interviews, was what caused the riot in the Tanjung Gusta prison
in Medan, North Sumatra, last month which left six inmates dead,
all having been burnt alive.

Before Tanjung Gusta, other notorious riots occurred in Becora
in East Timor, the Tanggerang correctional facility just outside
Jakarta and in Cipinang.

According to official accounts, the Tanjung Gusta incident
started when six prisoners, reputedly the most notorious in the
correctional facility, attacked fellow inmates for no apparent
reason.

This incited an immediate backlash. Hundreds of other inmates
assaulted the six men, threw them into a cell, stuffed mattresses
and pillows inside, and set the cell on fire before locking it.

The six men, either because of their notoriety or because of
their wealth, had been receiving special privileges from the
prison guards, including TV sets in their cells, cooking utensils
and permission to walk around the prison grounds.

Ironically the incident occurred barely a month after the
House of Representatives enacted a new law on correctional
facilities, designed to make the system more effective in
reforming inmates and enhancing the career of prison guards and
wardens.

While officials and experts argue for a better method of
reforming and rebuilding the character of inmates to prevent
reoffending, the four former convicts interviewed by The Jakarta
Post argue for an immediate end to the discriminatory practices
which they say are rampant in Indonesian jails.

"The riot in the Medan prison was sparked by jealousy between
the inmates," Anton Medan, who has served time for murder, says.
"Discriminatory treatment by prison guards and wardens is the
main cause," he adds.

Money talks loudly in correctional facilities, he says. "An
inmate could be put on parole or take part in an assimilation
program if he gives prison wardens or guards sufficient money."

Another inmate, who preferred to remain anonymous, points to
the length of visiting hours prisoners are allowed as another
example of discriminatory practices. "Visitors who pay more will
be given longer time to talk with the inmates," he says.

Iwan Cepy, who spent time in Cipinang for murder, says there
is stiff competition among inmates to be appointed the foreman by
the wardens because such an appointment entails privileges.

A foreman, the highest status that an inmate can attain in a
prison, has the authority to collect and manage funds, or
deposits in correctional parlance, from fellow inmates.

A foreman has more freedom to move around inside the prison,
adds Iwan, who admits that he reached such status when he was
serving time. "They didn't even lock my cell," he said.

Syahrial, another former inmate who was convicted for robbery,
concurred that the existence of discriminatory practices inside
jails is not a baseless rumor as some officials have tried to
maintain.

The former convicts interviewed all believe that the practice
of trading privileges in return for money inside correctional
facilities has been made possible because of prison guards and
wardens' low salaries, especially given the poor image in the
eyes of the public.

Judging from their concern, the four appeared to have greater
understanding of the problems of prison officials than the public
does.

"How can we expect total commitment from a prison official if
he is not well paid?" Iwan asks.

Anton says most people have no idea about the profession.
"They have a very tough life because they have to supervise
hundreds of inmates, for only a meager salary,"

Syahrial believes that discriminatory practices will remain as
long as the guards' welfare is not improved.

Under the current situation, prison guards and inmates, at
least the wealthy ones, have become mutually dependent, he says.
"Inmates need the privileges, the guards need the money."

"Money is the most important thing in determining what kind of
treatment you get in prison," says the anonymous ex-convict.

He admits that he also bought early freedom. "I left Cipinang
one month before the scheduled time," he says.

Anton says that the religious sermons held in correctional
facilities intended as part of an inmate's character reformation
should also be given to the prison guards.

"The prison officials have never been given religious sermons
to build their own personality. How can we expect them to talk
about religion and good things?" he asks.

Anton also says the religious sermons held in the correctional
facilities were mostly conducted by young and freshly graduated
preachers, and inmates cannot but help feeling that they are
being treated as guinea pigs.

The anonymous convict also questions the effectiveness of the
correctional facility in reforming an inmate's character because
when they return to society, they usually find people
discriminate against them because of their status.

He recalled that on the day he was released he approached a
prison guard and asked him to fix him up with a job as had been
promised earlier.

The guard, he says, responded: "What do you expect from me?
Out there, many engineers are out of work. What chance do you
have?"

The correctional facility, he says, has become a training
ground for some inmates to learn more advanced criminal skills
and tactics. "An inmate convicted for stealing a hen, will try to
steal an airplane once released," he says, only half jesting.