Over Capacity In Prisons/Rutan Now Reaches 92 Percent

The Director General of Corrections (Dirjen PAS) of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Reynhard Silitonga, said that the overcrowded population excess rate in prisons and detention centers (rutan) reached 92 percent.

"Based on the correctional database system, as of June 12, 2023, the overcrowded rate was 92 percent," Reynhard said in a hearing (RDP) with Commission III of the DPR as reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, June 13.

He explained that there are 526 prisons and detention centers in Indonesia with a occupancy capacity of 140,424 people. Meanwhile, the number of prisons and detention centers in 2023 reached 269,263 people.

"Overcrowded is a fundamental problem and has a systemic impact on correctional operations," Reynhard said.

Reynhard said that overcrowded prisons and remand centers were caused by several factors. First, the legal culture of the people in Indonesia which is still punitive.

"The provision of criminal sanctions for imprisonment is considered to have a deterrent effect and can fulfill the values of justice in the community, so that almost all criminal acts lead to imprisonment," he explained.

Second, detention or imprisonment is the easiest method to do, so that the imposition of imprisonment and detention efforts is still the prima donna in law enforcement efforts in Indonesia.

The third factor, said Reynhard, is stigmatization and labeling of ex-convicts. The negative stigma against ex-convicts led to recidivist or repetition of criminal acts.

"People still often stigmatize that causes ex-convicts to have difficulty adapting and have implications for the occurrence of recidivism," he explained.

Reynhard explained that the overcrowded condition caused an ideal condition and affected the efforts of the Directorate General (Ditjen) of Corrections in carrying out optimal services.

"The impacts caused by unideal conditions include disruption of service and coaching functions, decreasing the quality of the health of residents, (and) increased opportunities for security disturbances," he said.