Prisoners Come and Go When They Please

[fastpitch17]

From Tempo English Magazine.

EASY PRISON LIFE FOR CORRUPTORS
A number of convicted corruptors were caught red-handed leaving the Sukamiskin Prison in Bandung, unescorted for bogus reasons, in clear breach of regulations. Claiming to need medical attention, inmates bribe prison officials to be allowed to go to rented apartments and even fly outside of Java. Tempo’s investigation also exposes the luxurious life corruptors lead behind bars.

https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/02/06/055843536/Convicts-Roaming-Free-2-Bribes-were-Offered

 

[Vanhelsing]

I went through a phase of reading Kerobokan jailbird memoirs and remember stories of nights out on the town being commonplace for those inmates who could afford it. The prison officers received a fair price for their trouble as well as an evening of free food, booze and other night time "pursuits".

 

[Anglian]

Tommy used to play golf at Pondok Cabe golf club, nothing seems to have changed here, if you have the money nothing is impossible

 

[Daniel50]

It is too bad but not really a surprise. I get a range of emotions on this. I am pretty sure they could find enough staff to keep the corruptors in jail, if there was a will to do so. They could focus on one prison. It's not like it is an overwhelming large task.

 

[atlantis]

I have to say that these "special permissions" are a bit more "democratic" than what news article tend to have us believe. It is those who have money who can afford it, but mind you also those with no money but who behave well.

Two examples:

I have a nephew in my extended family who has received a 8 years sentence. I don't know him well save for the fact that I may have cracked a joke or two with him around a babi putar in a marriage in the Minahasa. Anyway, I didn't have a bad impression of him, just a kampung boy, perhaps not a smart one but still an honest lad. He got involved with a girl which was just below 17 y.o when he was himself just over 19 y.o. The girl left the parents house for 3 days to join him, something which would have not raise many eyebrows in the West but something which is viewed very differently here. Despite the fact that the girls was the one who decided to join him (many sms attesting it), the girls parents didn't accept it, asked for money as "reparation" and, receiving nothing, decided to report the nephew. He received as, I said earlier, a 8 years sentence. Pretty tough but judges, when you have no money to mitigate your case, usually give you no discount on the maximum sentence.

Keep in mine that my nephew is really poor. His parents have raised their three (or four?) kids with just the revenue of a small parcel of kebun, so not only they weren't able to pay for a lawyer they did not have enough money to appeal the judgement. You can imagine they have no money to pay for a "special permission" whatever the amount would be.

About a year after the sentence, while I was in Lola, his village, guess who I bumped into? My nephew. You can imagine that in such situation it is hard to look surprised and to ask "hey, WTF are you doing here? Escaped from jail?". It would tarnish a bit the family relation, wouldn't it? So, I just shut up but asked my dear wife to investigate.

I soon learnt that there was already a couple of month that he was given the right of going back to the village as long as he was coming back once in a while to the jail. The warden believed that he was a good boy and that he shouldn't pause them problems. Anyway, from thir own admission budget wasn't enough to feed all the inmates and they were chronically lacking of space, so the best among the crowd were sent out as often as possible.

Second example: I think I also gave in this forum (or perhaps in the other) this example of this detainee of my RuDenIm (imigrasi jail) that I meet every morning in our local pasar? The guy is a detainee, not a tourist or a visitor. He leaves the Rudenim by the big gate, flags a mikrolet and comes back the same way. Imigrasi let him go anywhere in the city to shop for who the hell ask him in the jail.

Just a few days ago I spotted another detainee 200m away from the RuDenIm, walking on the Manado Ring Road going god's know where.

 

[dafluff]

If you were a warden/guard, making something on the order of 3-5jt/mo, than you get a bribe of 2 years salary to look away for 1 night, would that not be tempting?

What they should do is build a prison on an remote island, and have CCTV feed directly to the minister's office...but I have doubts about their seriousness in dealing with corruption, so something like this will never be done.

 

[Vanhelsing]

If you were a warden/guard, making something on the order of 3-5jt/mo, than you get a bribe of 2 years salary to look away for 1 night, would that not be tempting?

There's an argument that corruption becomes so deeply ingrained in a society that regardless the salary, corruption will always be a prevalent almost intrinsic part of life as it has morphed into a cultural norm. Sadly, I suspect Indonesia could be used as a case study.

 

[ChrisTex]

I have heard of this happening in Mexico(can't remember if it was by Rio Bravo/Reynosa or Victoria), but it was the cartels giving the night shift guards money/threats to let their people out, borrow the guards' guns, and their people would return by morning after doing cartel business.

 

[Davita]

In Arizona they have a system I've never heard of elsewhere.
For those convicted on Driving Under Influence of Drugs or Alcohol (DUI) you have to stay in jail for 12 hours per day. This gives an opportunity for those with jobs or school etc. to continue with a normal day....i.e. If your job/school starts at 8:00 am you can be be released at 7:00AM and return at 7:00PM.

The jail itself consists of tents with metal bunks....originally made for the Korean war....

 

[fastpitch17]

Many states have work release programs for those in jail considered on individual merits.

 

[Daniel50]

I think that El Chapo was on some kind of release program, from Mexican prisons, but I doubt he will get the same releases anymore.

 

[Bad_azz]

There is a programme there that permits the guys with less than a year to serve to have some external rehabilitation. To my knowledge they have to be back inside by 5 pm.

I figure they are not viewed as a dangerous threat to society or a flight risk.

I do know of one guy whose parent died & to be able to attend the funeral he had to pay for flights to his home island for himself and for prison guards and police & pay for hotels for them too- and this was not one of the "rich" people in there.

*not had time to read the article yet

 

[Bad_azz]

Ah, ok- I read it. Seems to me that they are making something out of nothing.

hmmmm I am unsure what I can/cannot, should /should not say really.


Lets's just say that I probably know a hell of a lot more than Tempo seems to about the situtation.

 

[Daniel50]

My personal opinion of these corruptors, or any esp. higher level corrupters is pretty harsh and does not include outings, light sentences or sentence reductions. The cells and prison conditions would certainly not be comfortable.

 

[Bad_azz]

My personal opinion of these corruptors, or any esp. higher level corrupters is pretty harsh and does not include outings, light sentences or sentence reductions. The cells and prison conditions would certainly not be comfortable.

That is using Western values in Indonesian society though- to many people corruption is part of the infrastructure and they play the game to get round the obstacles.

I am not saying it is right or wrong- I am saying it is accepted/expected as part of day to day life on every level here in Indonesia. It has been that way for a very very long time & changes will not come quickly.

The ones in the jail are not ALL there for massive criminal acts & some are in there for not playing politics well with the bigger fish.

Personally I would like to see the judiciary being as clean & unbiased & uncorrupted as it should be- politicians & the like tend to all be corrupt- in any country - don't even get me started on the UK & the good ol' US of A.

I will say I have met some very big names in the prison and I have always been treated with the utmost respect & courtesy from the employees and the inmates.
I am aware of programmes /activities that go on inside to help to educate & rehabilitate. I like to think that we can educate people as to why their criminal activities are no longer acceptable. There is no point just locking people up and throwing away the key- it solves nothing- better to try and get something put back into the community in a positive way.

 

[Vanhelsing]

The ones in the jail are not ALL there for massive criminal acts ....

I remember chatting with a young Batak man in Danau Toba when I was spending periods there who told me he had spent two months in jail for stealing a chicken.

 

[Bad_azz]

I remember chatting with a young Batak man in Danau Toba when I was spending periods there who told me he had spent two months in jail for stealing a chicken.

If you do actually make it to Bandung & I am available, I will happily take you down there for a visit.

 

[Daniel50]

I know the whole system is rotten, but with a serious effort at cleaning it up, I would give these higher level corruptors a choice. A bullet in the middle of the forehead or a life of hard labour. There have been stories of some old women picking some fruit off the ground and going to jail etc.etc etc.. And it is this endemic corruption that everyone can thank for lack of infrastructure and lack of help for the poor, elderly etc..

 

[Banana72]

I saw a couple videos on youtube (first time I saw the oh beautiful Najwa too...didn't know who she was)..about 'penjara mewah di Indonesia'. She and a minister of something (forget who he was), had a sudden inspection at 2 in the morning to find some privileged prisoners had private bathrooms, locked doors (from the inside), allowed to have laptops, a desk/chair/carpet/a fan and other things to make the prison more comfortable. Might not seem much, but it's a huge step up from the 5-in-one mass cell that other people had to live with.

Still that was nothing compared to Arthalyta Suryani's prison 'cell' (if you can call it that). I believe it is much better than my first apartment. It had a huge living room, dining area (complete with hot/cold water dispenser, fridge, etc), special chair for skin treatment, flat screen tv and oh yes, in Jakarta, you can't live without AC, so that was provided too.

 

[atlantis]

Still that was nothing compared to Arthalyta Suryani's prison 'cell' (if you can call it that). I believe it is much better than my first apartment. It had a huge living room, dining area (complete with hot/cold water dispenser, fridge, etc), special chair for skin treatment, flat screen tv and oh yes, in Jakarta, you can't live without AC, so that was provided too.

I believe it was still not enough luxury for Artalyta. She got out of jail after less than 3 years out of her (ridiculous) 5 years sentence. For the record, she had been sentenced for bribing the head of the team of prosecutors in charge of the BLBI case, Urip Tri Gunawan. Bribe was USD 660.000, added by another IDR 1 billion paid by the then ex kepala BPPN.
Urip is now enjoying life in Sukamiskin, and from what I've read, became Konsultan hukum for other narapidana. I doubt he is in a tiny cell.