Tangerang Prison Inmates' Paving Blocks Meet Strong Demand from Companies

detikcom was granted the opportunity to witness the concrete paving block production process on Tuesday, 26 May 2026. Inmates involved in bataton production are equipped with personal protective equipment (PPE), including helmets, masks, boots, and ear protectors for machine operators. Inmates are assigned to various roles: some sieve and mix waste materials with cement, sand, and water; others operate moulding machines and reinforcement; while others transport and stack the finished products. Paving blocks or bataton are neatly stacked in the storage area, with some inmates maintaining the cured products. Tangerang Prison Chief Beni Hidayat stated that the inmate empowerment initiative was proposed by Minister of Corrections Andrianto during a meeting with PLN. ‘We utilise coal combustion waste from power plants as a resource. With available labour, we transform it into economically valuable construction products,’ Beni said while observing the concrete production process. Beni explained that participating inmates receive wages based on their output, paid monthly. ‘For paving blocks, we pay Rp2,000 per tray produced. For example, if 200 trays are made daily, the total is Rp400,000, which is split among the machine team. Half is paid directly to the inmates, and half is deposited into BRI Bank,’ he explained. Beni listed products made by inmates, including paving blocks, pressed bataton, modular homes, u-ditch drainage, tetrapod wave breakers, precast panel fences, and roster products. He noted these products are widely used by major corporations, with orders also placed for housing construction. ‘Pressed bataton is used by Summarecon in Bekasi. The most in-demand products are bataton and paving blocks. Modular homes are also used for civil servant housing in West Cikarang and Central Cikarang,’ he added. Beni guaranteed the concrete quality of Tangerang Prison’s paving blocks meets K-300 standards, with a compressive strength of 300 kg/cm², confirmed through laboratory testing. ‘We conduct monthly tests at WIKA Laboratory to verify strength. This ensures our products are competitive with external offerings,’ he stressed.