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raft and favoritism are hindering regular inmates from being granted sentence remissions, according to an Indonesian Ombudsman report issued Monday.

The 2012 government regulation on the rules and procedures for fulfilling prisoners’ rights state that every convict has the right to receive remission. A request for a sentence cut can be submitted by inmates or their families to prison wardens.

However, the ombudsman discovered at least 963 requests for sentence cuts at four penitentiaries investigated by the institution that had yet to be granted by the prison wardens. “The officials have yet to take proper care of the remissions process,” Ombudsman commissioner Ninik Rahayu read out the
investigation report.

She revealed that corrupt practices by inmates and prison officials had led to discrimination in remission approval process.

Well-off inmates, the report highlighted, could bribe wardens to expedite the processing of remission requests.

Regular inmates were also demanded to pay certain fees before they or their family members could submit remission requests, the report alleges.

“This practice has become an open secret without any tangible proof, as there aren’t any direct transactions or clear indications of the receipt of illicit money,” Ninik said, adding that the Ombudsman had obtained the information from interviews with inmates and ex-convicts.
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Well-off inmates, the report highlighted, could bribe wardens to expedite the processing of remission requests.

The lack of evidence relating to the levies, she added, was because inmates would give the money through fellow prisoners assigned as helpers in each prison. Another way was for wardens to ask prisoners to buy other things for the levy, such as water pumps that should normally be provided using budgeted funds for the prison.

Apart from the levies, the Ombudsman also found that favoritism by wardens had barred regular inmates from putting in requests for sentence cuts. The report revealed that inmates who were on good terms with the prison wardens were more likely to get remission than those who were not.

The only requirement for inmates to be granted remission is to show “good conduct,” which is proven with the absence of disciplinary punishment and a good citation from the wardens for their cooperation during the sentence.

“[Favoritism] ruins the value of correction for convicts and can lead to discrimination,” Ninik said.

She recommended that the Law and Human Rights Ministry’s directorate general of corrections ensure compliance with the regulation and improve its services to meet the legal standards.

“It’s there. They just have to obey it.”

Ma’mun, the ministry’s acting director general of corrections, expressed appreciation for the Ombudsman report, saying it could be used for the directorate general’s evaluation.

“We acknowledge that some of our officials have yet to comply with the regulation, especially regarding bribery and corruption. Although this issue is beyond our control, we are working hard to resolve it,” Ma’mun said.

The damning report was released amid criticism that graft and terrorism convicts are still eligible for sentence remissions.

Amid this year’s Independence Day celebration, the ministry granted radical cleric Aman Abdurrahman, an influential Islamic State ideologue, an early release last week.

He was rearrested by police as soon as he got out of jail.

The ministry also granted a six-month remission for graft convict Gayus Halomoan Tambunan, a former tax official convicted for embezzlement, even though the convict never collaborated with law enforcement authorities. (kuk)