During a press conference on Thursday in Nusakambangan, Central Java, Director General of Corrections at the ministry Inspector General Mashudi said the construction of the facility—named Kumbang Prison—is targeted for completion by December 31, 2025.
“We build this prison, among other reasons, to address the issue of overcrowding at Indonesia’s correctional facilities,” he informed.
Kumbang Prison will be a medium-security facility, he added.
The facility will implement a coaching program for rehabilitating inmates by helping them improve their attitude, behavior, and skills.
Inmates who actively participate in the program and perform designated work assignments will be eligible for sentence reductions, according to Mashudi.
The assignments will include cleaning mosques and churches, cooking, managing small businesses (MSMEs) within the prison, and farming.
Related news: Govt addresses prison overcrowding through amnesty for drug inmates
“It’s not about selling remissions. This is a way to address overcapacity without compromising regulations. They’ve earned it—not all prisoners are like them,” he added.
Currently, 11 correctional facilities are operating on Nusakambangan Island with a combined capacity of 3,088 inmates.
These include three super-maximum security prisons (Batu, Karang Anyar, and Pasir Putih), four maximum security prisons (Besi, Ngaseman, Gladagan, and Narcotics), two medium-security prisons (Permisan and Kembang Kuning), and two minimum-security prisons (Open and Nirbaya).
As of Thursday, the total inmate population across these facilities stood at 2,992. They can only accommodate 96 more prisoners.
The majority of inmates—2,190—have been incarcerated for drug-related offenses. Meanwhile, 275 inmates are on death row, 599 are serving life sentences, and 223 are foreign nationals.
Related news: Prison drug rings: 643 convicts transferred to Nusakambangan facility
Translator: Agatha Olivia Victoria, Aditya E.S. Wicaksono
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
