Salemba Prison Prisoners Taught Caring For Plants To Have Ability After Release

Prisoners at Salemba Prison tend to plant Japanese sweet potatoes in detention/ Photo: Rizky Sulistio/ VOI

JAKARTA - Dozens of Correctional Inmates (WBP) or inmates (prisoners) at the Class 1A Salemba Detention Center (Rutan) in Central Jakarta are using vacant land (brandgang) to grow Japanese sweet potatoes.

This activity aims to provide activities for prisoners so that they can be independent when they are free and become the general public.

As did Dede (37), one of the inmates who said that he had been taking care of this Japanese yam plant for 3 months. Dede said, these activities can relieve fatigue.

"I'm glad I was involved with planting, caring for, until now I can harvest Japanese sweet potatoes. If I was in prison I was very tired, with this I can relieve my fatigue," said Dede to VOI at the location, Thursday, March 17.

The Head of the DKI Jakarta Divpas Kemenkum, Marcelina Budiningsih, said that this sweet potato harvesting activity is a form of success for the government's program related to food security.

"This is a form of empowerment for the inmates as well. Here we teach them to change their way of thinking so that they have skills," he said.

This Japanese yam harvest is the first post-planting activity since the end of 2021.

Head of the Salemba Class 1 A Detention Center (Karutan), Fonika Affandi, said that 500 kilograms of Japanese sweet potatoes were harvested at the Salemba detention center.

"Here, those who plant, tend to harvest, are the inmates or prisoners. But they are provided with more training," he said.