The Law and Human Rights Ministry is set to increase the capacity of penitentiaries nationwide by 5,000 by the end of the year in an effort to help ease overcrowding in correctional facilities.

The plan is among the ministry’s efforts to improve the management of prisons in the country, which is one of the facets of the government’s ambitious legal reform agenda.

No details were available regarding the prisons expected to have their capacities increased, but Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly said previously that Tanjung Gusta Penitentiary in Medan, North Sumatra, and Salemba Penitentiary in Jakarta were among the most overcrowded facilities in the country.

Tanjung Gusta Penitentiary currently houses around 3,000 inmates, three times its capacity, while Salemba Penitentiary, which has a capacity of 750, currently accommodates around 3,500 inmates.