GOVT ALLOCATES RP1 TRILLION FOR IMPROVING PENITENTIARIES

Jakarta, Jan 12 (ANTARA) - The government has decided to increase the budget for the ministry of justice and human rights by Rp1 trillion in 2010 to increase the capacity of penitentiaries.

"Right now we have set aside Rp1 trillion. This is in line with the projected budget of the ministry of justice and human rights for improving penitentiaries. Certainly we will see again the budgeting process in terms of locations to be prioritized," Finance Minister Sri Mulyani said at the presidential office here on Tuesday.

The additional budget, she said, would be included in the 2010 budget revision plan to be submitted to the House of Representatives for discussion.

The head of the court mafia task force, Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, said at the same place that improvement of penitentiaries was one of the recommendations to be submitted by the task force to the president in connection with court mafia eradication efforts.

Kuntoro said the impromptu inspection that the task force made at the Pondok Bambu penitentiary for female prisoners recently was part of the task force's monitoring efforts which are one of the task force's functions.

"Legal processes begin with a probe and end in penitentiary. This is the process of what is called law," he said.

Regarding the discharge of the head of the penitentiary by the minister of justice and human rights, Kuntoro said it was the authority of the minister, after seeing what has happened at the penitentiary.

In its inspection, the task force discovered unequal facilities among prisoners with those having money to have better facilities.***4***