Cikarang Prison And MUI Agree To Build Islamic Boarding School For Prisoner Development

BEKASI Regency - Class IIA Cikarang Penitentiary with the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) of Bekasi Regency agreed to cooperate in the construction of Islamic boarding schools specifically for inmates. This step was realized through the signing of a memorandum of understanding as part of efforts to foster the religion and morals of prisoners.

Chairman of the Bekasi Regency MUI Prof. Mahmud stated that the purpose of this collaboration is to provide spiritual guidance as well as access to formal education for prisoners, especially those who are of productive age.

"Education will be provided through the package B program and package C equivalent to junior high and high school level for free, without burdening prisons or inmates," he said in Cikarang, quoted from ANTARA, Saturday, April 26.

He said that if someone enters a correctional institution at a young age and is not equipped with education or expertise, then when they are free, they will risk falling into criminal acts again.

"We want to be here to foster and equip them with knowledge and diplomas so that they are ready to return to society," he said.

The Bekasi Regency MUI will also facilitate the legality of religious education activities in the Cikarang Prison through coordination with the Bekasi Regency Ministry of Religion. Islamic boarding schools will be established in prisons and MUI as the main person in charge.

Head of Class IIA Cikarang Prison Urip Dharma Yoga said this collaboration was an important step in an effort to improve the quality of human resources of the inmates and support their social reintegration process after completing their sentence.

"We hope that this synergy will bring great benefits to the development of the inmates as well as become a charity for all parties involved," he said.

Urip explained that the Class IIA Cikarang Prison already has a representative building called the Al Islah Islamic Boarding School which since 2019 has been used for religious activities, such as reading, writing, calculating, learning Al Quran and fostering Islamic spirituality.

Currently, the Class IIA Cikarang Prison accommodates 1,444 inmates with 1,390 of them are Muslims. Of these, 1,145 people are prisoners and 245 others are prisoners.

Routine religious development activities are carried out from Monday to Saturday at mosques and Al Islah Building, including the Koran and Al Quran, prayer procedures, to the study of yellow books such as Safinatan Najah and Ta'lim Muta'allim, as well as commemoration of Islamic holidays.

Through this agreement, MUI and Cikarang Prison hope to realize prisons as places of guidance that not only emphasize the legal aspect but also education, morals and spirituality for the future of inmates.