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resident Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono'€™s message to Law and Human Rights Minister Amir Syamsuddin in response to the recent string of jail breaks in the last two months was quite short but very clear. He asked his aide to take all measures necessary to put a stop to the commotion as soon as possible.

The President might share the public'€™s dissatisfaction with the myriad of problems currently plaguing prisons: institutions that supposedly aim to correct human misbehavior.

Throughout the archipelago our prisons facilitate recidivism and serve as a fertile environment for petty criminals looking to move up the pecking-order.

The latest prison break on Tuesday in Meulaboh, West Aceh, occurred just two days after a similar incident at Labuhan Ruku Penitentiary in the North Sumatra regency of Batu Bara. Since the riot at Tanjung Gusta prison in the North Sumatra capital of Medan on July 11 '€” which saw more than 150 inmates escape, many of whom remain at large '€” the government has done little to address prison reform.

Although it may be claimed that major improvements are a work in progress, which have not yet borne fruits, the fact remains that rampant jail breaks lead us to the conclusion that the government'€™s pledge to address this long-standing issue is simply rhetoric '€” if not just empty words.

Apart from the usual culprit of overcrowding, the law and human rights minister, and the director general of correctional intuitions, can no longer turn a blind eye to systemic corruption inside jail.

How could an international drug dealer on death row run his business behind bars and be allowed to meet female companions in private, if not because of the financial power he wields?

Widespread corruption inside correctional institutions is also apparent in medical breaks given to wealthy corruption convicts or unofficial levies charged on inmates wishing to receive visitors.

When money talks discrimination against the penniless prisoner flourishes and, subsequently, their rights neglected. Worse still, money will distracts wardens and guards from their main responsibility: helping inmates reenter society.

It is very likely that the riots resulted from a combination of the disregard of the inmates'€™ rights and poor supervision. Both Amir and Deputy Law and Human Rights Minister Denny Indrayana have been known to visits correctional facilities unannounced to see the challenges firsthand. But these field trips are not enough.

The government'€™s most pressing agenda should be to address the widespread practice of bribery. These wardens and guards should be dismissed: the prosecution of personnel would send a true message of decisiveness.