REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The government planned to build three penitentiaries in the outer and remote islands in Indonesia. A temporary penitentiary should be built to increase the capacity of prisons that accommodate too many inmates, a senior minister said.

"It is now under construction," Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Wiranto told reporters after the Army Retired Gathering (PPAD) at the latter's office here on Tuesday.

However, he stated that the government was now considering adding three more prisons on the outer and remote islands.

"We are also thinking about outer and remote islands suitable for the establishment of the three penitentiaries, by taking into account the prison system in Indonesia. It is one of our efforts to arrive at the target by doing some surveys," he said.

However, he further added that the plan could not be easily realized, because it required mature process and planning. The government hoped that a number of cases and incidents behind the bars, such as irregularities by providing special facilities to prisoners, can be prevented.

"Well, later on the remote islands, it is not easy for the inmates to get facilities and permission to go to the cinema as well as to watch tennis shows outside the prison, as it is impossible for them to cross the islands. I think that is one way to keep the inmates in the prisons, and it would certainly need more time," Wiranto remarked.

In principle, he added that the most important thing is not to put forward repressive measures. The crucial point is on how to prevent prisons from being inhabited by too many inmates.

"How do you do it? Indeed, mental revolution must be carried out. We must reduce the number of prisoners living in over-capacity jails, which are mostly inhabited by criminals related to drugs. It is an anti-drug agency's (BNN) effort to seriously handle the drugs-related cases. This is why we have to reduce the number of drug-related cases in Indonesia," he revealed.

Earlier, the anti-graft body (KPK) had named four suspects in the prisons for granting luxury facilities to corruption inmates at Sukamiskin prison, namely Head of Sukamiskin Prison Wahid Husen, his staff named Hendy Saputra, corruption convict Fahmi Darmawansyah, and general prisoner Andri Rahmat as Fahmi's right hand.

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