Minister Vows To Solve Jail Overcrowding Problem

Jakarta, Oct 30 (Antara) - Minister of Law and Human Rights Yasonna Laoly has promised to resolve the problem of overcapacity in jails and detention houses. "It turns out that there was an overcrowding problem in Indonesian jails and detention houses as several perpetrators of narcotics crimes, particularly drug users, are housed there" Minister Yasonna stated during his impromptu inspection of the Cipiang Detention House in East Jakarta, on Wednesday night. The minister noted that all detention houses, including the Cipinang detention house, are facing the problem of inhumane overcrowding. "We are formulating a policy with regard to overcrowding," Yasonna revealed. Yasonna remarked that the government would not breach the rights of the inmates. "They are prisoners, but they also have rights. I have a slightly different philosophy as I have a criminology background," Minister Yasonna stated. Yasonna acknowledged that he would formulate a policy to implement the rehabilitation concept for narcotics addicts. "The next is how to move 200 persons from here to the region`s detention houses, which are still vacant. The problem is that their families might object to it, but this is a state policy," he noted. He said that the inmates would be randomly picked and distributed, so no preferences would be given, for instance, they would be moved because they did not pay. The minister admitted that funds would be required for carrying out these activities. "The next rehabilitation could be done with a conditional release based on a regulation system that refers to the `victimless crime` principle. We have to consider the conditions of those who used narcotics only because they just wanted to try it," he added. He also pointed out that he had held a meeting with Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Human Rights Tedjo Edhi Purdijanto to discuss the possibility of rehabilitating narcotics abusers. "The narcotics convicts may undergo a legal process or a confinement for three years, for instance, to give them a lesson and then they will undergo rehabilitation before being released," he added. He said that the crime committed by a narcotics convict was classified as a "victimless crime" in criminology terms as he/she did not kill others, but harmed himself/herself. However, drug traffickers deserved punishment.