A

s correctional facilities across the country struggle to overcome overcrowding, the government has declared its commitment to improving the welfare of elderly inmates.

The government, through the Law and Human Rights Ministry, aims to establish a new set of regulations on the more dignified treatment of elderly prisoners.

Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly said a discussion on the topic was long overdue since the special needs of elderly prisoners had often been an afterthought in correctional facilities across the country.

“Many correctional facilities have struggled to solve the issue of prison overcrowding. This is partly due to the fact that elderly inmates still occupy the same space to complete their long-term prison sentences, which began years ago,” Yasonna said recently.

As of September, the number of inmates reached 248,340, which exceeded the total maximum capacity of 125,109 in correctional facilities in the country, according to data from the ministry’s Directorate General for Corrections.

Elderly inmates with special needs, meanwhile, accounted for 4,408 of these, according to Sri Puguh Utami, the ministry’s director general for corrections.

However, most of the country’s correctional facilities still lack the facilities that could positively contribute to the physical and mental well-being of their elderly prisoners, she added.

“It’s about time that we came up with a set of regulations that address a more humane and sensible treatment of elderly inmates since they’re among the most vulnerable to abuse in correctional facilities,” Sri said.

The ministry now plans to focus on four main areas in relation to the special treatment of elderly inmates, who, just like other elderly people, are prone to age-related health problems like hearing loss, arthritis and mobility impairment.

“We will address four major aspects related to the treatment of elderly inmates in Indonesia: prioritized access to justice, recovery and development of social function, health care and security,” the ministry’s director of inmate services Lilik Sujandi said.

The ministry is also planning to establish specialized correctional facilities for geriatric inmates as its long-term goal.

The ministry has therefore assigned Serang Penitentiary in Banten and the Batam Penitentiary in Riau Islands to conduct pilot experiments on special facilities.

The two penitentiaries have begun adding special supporting facilities, as well as implementing new rules that cater to the needs of elderly inmates.

“In September, the two penitentiaries added special cell blocks for the elderly, equipped with special facilities such as sit-down toilets and health clinics that are staffed by competent health workers,” said Harun Sulianto, the ministry’s director for inmate correction and vocational training.

The government has also initiated a discussion to produce a blueprint for an international standard on the more dignified treatment of elderly inmates dubbed “the Jakarta Rules”.

Last week, the ministry hosted the Seminar on Treatment of Elderly Prisoners in Jakarta, bringing together around 160 delegates from seven Southeast Asian countries, as well as Japan and South Korea, to discuss the need to draft such a document.

Harun said the ministry expected the proposed document to be in the same vein as the Beijing Rules and the Bangkok Rules, which addressed the needs of juvenile inmates and women prisoners, respectively.

Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 1985, the Beijing Rules are the current international standard for the handling of juvenile offenders. While the Bangkok Rules, which were adopted by the UN in 2010, are the first set of rules to regulate the treatment of women prisoners.