Activists unconvinced new Indonesia law can reduce prison overcrowding

A burned-out cell at the Tangerang Class I Penitentiary in Banten following a fire that killed 49 inmates in September 2021. - AFP

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network): Lawmakers recently passed a new law on the country's correctional system with the hopes of ending prison overcrowding. Activists, however, remain unconvinced, saying the legislation does not solve the underlying problem of the excessive incarceration of drug offenders, who have long dominated the inmate population.

The House of Representatives amended the outdated 1995 Correctional Facitilies Law in a plenary session on Thursday to help address the poor management of prisons and their insufficient facilities and human resources.