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JAKARTA, INDONESIA - INDONESIAN authorities plan to reduce overcrowding in jails by freeing up to 15,000 inmates on conditional terms this year, an official said on Wednesday.
Director-general for penitentiary affairs Untung Sugiono said that Indonesia's 425 jails had a capacity of 80,000 but were now holding some 127,000 inmates.
'We will make an effort to keep the number of detentions down by making optimal use of conditional release, conditional leave and accelerated release,' Sugiono said in remarks broadcast on ElShinta radio.
The schemes, he said, could only be used by inmates showing good conduct throughout their detention who had already served at least two-thirds of their sentences.
Sugiono said that through the scheme, some 15,000 prisoners could be released this year.
Indonesian justice officials have long complained that the country's jails are overcrowded, sometimes leading to violent brawls between prisoners. -- AFP
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