521 Kotabaru inmates receive remission

Kotabaru Penitentiary. As many as 521 of its inmates received remission of Inonesia's Independence Day. (Lapas Kotabaru @ Facebook)

We proposed 674 inmates, but only 521 were qualified. The remission decree for 514 inmates have been issued, other seven are waiting,

Kotabaru, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - District Secretary of Kotabaru H Said Akmad symbolically submits remission to Kotabaru Penitentiary inmates. (Antaranews Kalsel/ohi/ist)

As many as 521 inmates serving their jail term in Kotabaru Penitentiary received remissin on Indonesia's 74th Independence Day anniversary on Saturday.

"We proposed 674 inmates, but only 521 were qualified. The remission decree for 514 inmates have been issued, other seven are waiting," said Head of the Kotabaru Penitentiary Suhartomo.

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17 of the inmates, he detailed, general remission (RU) II, which means they directly released. But infact only 11 of them could leave the prison, while seven others will be kept in jail for the reason of having not paying the verdict of subsidiary fines.

"Six people must carry out imprisonment in place of fine, so eleven are released plus two person who received parole," he explained.

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The remission was announced on the Independence Day commemoration at the courtyard of the penitentiary, where elements of regional heads communication forum (Forkopimda) were present. It was enlivened with various handycrafts made by the inmates utilizing waste to became economic valued products.

The problem of overcapicity indeed did not reduce the Kotabaru Penitentiary management to foster the inmates, both in term of personality and humanity. They worked with the local office of Religious Affairs Ministry in building personality and with Manpower and Transmigration Agency to build their skill and independency.

With 843 inhabitants, Kotabaru Penitentiary has indeed 400 percent of overcapicity in this common problem has become a serious attention of the central government as was said in the remark of Law and Human Right Minister Yosanna Laoly read by the District Secretary fo Kotabaru Said Akhmad.

It was acknowledged the various issues of deviation departed from the problems of overcapicity, such as drug control from prison, cellphone abuse, and extortion in prisons.

To address the problems, the ministry is now running revitalization program to organize correctional system. It is in line with the theme of the Independence Day this year namely to advance Indonesia superior human resources.