Govt to Build 40 More New Prisons

Batam (Antara Bali) - An official from the ministry of justice said the government would build 40 new prisons to accommodate all prisoners.

"19 of them have been operating and the rest is expected to be operational soon," the official who is director of order and security development of the directorate general of penitentiaries, Wibowo Joko Harjono, said here on Thursday.

He said the capacity of prisoners in the country at present is only for 91,000 people but the number of prisoners accommodated there right now reached 126,000.

"Almost all prisons especially in big cities have been overcapacity. So, new prisons are needed," he said. (*/M038)