Wamenkumham Mocks Prison System In Indonesia: 30 Years Behind America

Deputy Minister of Law and Human Rights of the Republic of Indonesia Prof. Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej/Photo: Antara

JAKARTA - Deputy Minister of Law and Human Rights (Wamenkumham) of the Republic of Indonesia, Prof. Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej, said the correctional system in Indonesia was 30 years behind when compared to a number of western countries. "The developed countries are European, western, and North American countries," said RI Deputy Minister of Law and Human Rights Prof. Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej through the Ditjenpas YouTube channel which was monitored in Jakarta, Monday, April 25. He said that in these countries, it can be said that prisons or correctional institutions (lapas) are empty. This is in contrast to the situation in Indonesia, where prisons are currently overcrowded due to overcrowding. Prof. Eddy, as he is usually called, said that in countries with advanced penal systems, it is rare for a convict to stay in prison. This is because the country implements a semi-detention system. He explained that one of the characteristics of a country that implements a semi-detention system is that an inmate only stays in prison from six in the afternoon to six in the morning. From six in the morning to six in the afternoon they do activities as usual, in the office or trade," he explained, as quoted by Antara.

This means that convicts in countries that implement a semi-detention system only stay in prison for half a day. Regarding the term of sentence, it depends on the judge who decides the case. In addition, there are also countries that implement a weekend detention system, where imprisonment begins on Friday night or Saturday morning at 00.00 and leaves on Monday morning at 00.00. "Such a system does not exist in Indonesia," he said. In fact, even more advanced, the Netherlands has applied social work crimes to a convict since 1982 or it has been applied for 40 years. Therefore, he continued, it must be acknowledged when talking about the system of correctional facilities, Indonesia is 30 to 40 years behind other European and North American countries.