Indonesian Prison Corruption Threatens Reform Efforts

The International Crisis Group, an independent, nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that works to resolve and prevent violent conflict around the world, has published a new report on conditions in the prison system of the southeast Asian nation of Indonesia. The report, titled "Deradicalisation and Indonesian Prisons," is available for download on the International Crisis Group's web site.

According to the press release, Indonesia's progress in convincing individuals convicted of terrorism related offenses to stop their violent ways is in jeopardy because the country's prison system is in a desperate state of repair. The Crisis Group's new report argues that corruption in the Indonesian prison system has the potential to disrupt efforts by law enforcement personnel to change core practices of radicals. Sidney Jones, the Senior Adviser for the Crisis Group in Jakarta, Indonesia, says, "Prison reform is essential in Indonesia for many different reasons, but helping buttress deradicalisation programs is one."

Crisis Group says that just under 200 individuals are currently imprisoned in Indonesia on what it calls "jihadi" crimes, with almost half belonging to the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist group. An Indonesian police program that attempts to use ex-convicts to change jihadi groups is in danger, the report says. In approaching Islamic extremists, the Crisis Group says, Indonesian police officials are attempting to dispel the notion that the Indonesian government is anti-Islamic. The problem with corruption in Indonesian prisons, though, works against police efforts to separate and work with those who may be able to influence jihadist organizations. Additionally, the report notes, radicals within the prison system have had great success in enlisting criminals to join their ranks, thwarting police efforts to decrease the number of convicted persons engaging in violent behavior.