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JAKARTA: As head of security at Jakarta’s Cipinang Penitentiary, Wisnu Hani Putranto spends his days inspecting the prison beyond his shift from 8 a.m. to midnight.
The 35-year-old’s greatest fear today is that COVID-19 may sneak into cells.
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“If someone has COVID-19, the spread of the disease will be very fast. We could all die quickly, “he said.
All staff and inmates are required to wear a mask inside the facility, but that is not foolproof protection against COVID-19.
The East Jakarta prison has the capacity to house around 900 inmates, but currently houses around 3,600 inmates. The 300 members of the prison staff commute daily to work and only a few live in a nearby government-provided apartment.
“No one can guarantee that the staff is healthy, while every day they need to interact with thousands of inmates.
“They leave their houses, use public transportation or motorcycles, perhaps they come into physical contact with someone on the road and then they enter the prison,” said the warden.
Cipinang Prison staff are concerned that COVID-19 may be extended at the prison. (Photo courtesy of Wisnu Hani Putranto)
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The severe overcrowding of the prison and the fact that the capital Jakarta is the epicenter of the outbreak in Indonesia, with more than 4,500 cases of COVID-19 so far, means that fear of a possible spread of COVID-19 in the jail is real.
Cipinang Prison is not the only overcrowded penitentiary in the country, as many others face the same problem.
Last month, the government decided to grant early releases to some 38,000 general crimes and juvenile inmates who have served at least two-thirds of their sentences to minimize the risk of COVID-19 spreading in the country’s jails.
PHYSICAL DISTANCE HARD TO IMPLEMENT
A cell in Cipinang Prison should ideally house five convicts, but in reality, up to 20 people live in a small room.
The release of some 400 inmates in early April did not significantly reduce the number of inmates in cells.
“It is very difficult to implement social distancing in such crowds,” said Putranto, who has been working in correctional facilities since 2002.
The day begins at 7 in the morning with a daily roll call and the guards count all the inmates manually, followed by sports activities.
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The prisoners then receive their breakfast boxes at 8 am.
“They are inmates. Sometimes they just want to eat breakfast quickly because they are hungry and then they push each other. “
Each cell is equipped with a toilet and a bathroom. Inmates have their own mattresses and pillows.
“If someone has COVID-19, the whole room will have it. And then there are activities they do together in their free time outside the cells, like sports and sunbathing. They also help each other to shave gray hair or scrape their bodies (when they are not well), and even shower together in the common bathrooms, “Putranto said.
But authorities are doing everything possible to prevent COVID-19 from spreading in the prison by disinfecting the cells daily and conducting a randomized rapid test on inmates, as there is limited evidence of COVID-19 in the country.
Since Indonesia announced its first COVID-19 cases in early March, the prison has also prohibited people from visiting prisoners.
Staff informed inmates of the danger of the coronavirus and told them that they are currently unable to receive visitors.
Indonesian prisoners in a Jakarta prison speak to family members by video after visits were detained for fear of coronaviruses. Authorities have now gone further and are releasing tens of thousands of prisoners in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus in overcrowded AFP / BROCHURE prisons.
“We told them that if their relatives come to visit and if they have the disease, the entire prison will be dead.
“And they said,” We don’t want that man, “” Putranto said.
But the chief of security noted that the guards also have to take care of the psychological well-being of the inmates.
“If you don’t see your wife and children for a few days, you will miss them.”
“And now they have been experiencing this for two months. They have not received visits from loved ones who generally come and bring them some food, “he said.
Therefore, they take into account daily virtual visits of approximately 10 minutes for each convict.
DAILY FIGHTS AND SQUABBLES
In addition to COVID-19, the senior warden also has to deal with daily disputes between prisoners, such as fights and arguments.
“Sometimes they fight between roommates, sometimes with prisoners from another room.
“There were also incidents when officers were attacked,” Putranto revealed.
Prisoners are not allowed to have a mobile phone and sharp objects, but Putranto said they can turn everything into a weapon.
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“Once, one of my subordinates was attacked with an iron weapon made from spoons and nails, and had to receive stitches.
“Inmates can use everything, like a spoon or even a toothbrush. If they only see a small piece of iron, they can turn it into a sharp weapon, ”he said.
Fights could be triggered by anything, such as running into old enemies, arguing about debts they had before their incarceration, involuntary food spills, and minor incidents, like an inmate using the other person’s soap.
“Sometimes, when I sleep at night, I have nightmares about work, the problems I encounter at work.
“Because with so many inmates, it is impossible for there to be no problems,” Putranto told CNA.
Archive photo of a prison. (Photo: AFP / Romeo Gacad)
Cipinang Prison has about 160 guards working in six different groups on three shifts.
The youngest convict in the men’s prison is 20 years old, while the oldest is 70 years old.
A convict, who was granted early release last month, now returned to Cipinang prison because he was caught stealing a cell phone.
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“Now we have put him in an isolation cell. You cannot leave the cell at all. That is the punishment, “he said.
A total of 120 CCTV cameras are installed in Cipinang Prison to help guards maintain security. Due to budget constraints, not all rooms have one, as cells with terrorist prisoners are given priority.
“We have to work hard, we need to maintain a high spirit, and even in this current condition we have to fight hard to maintain security.”
WORKING HARD WITH LITTLE RECOGNITION
“People just look at medical teams, but people like us who work in correctional facilities are also working hard.
“People do not know that we are also vulnerable and susceptible to COVID-19,” Putranto said.
He added that due to his work, he barely has time to see his 11-year-old daughter and his eight-year-old son.
As chief of security at the Cipinang penitentiary, Wisnu Hani Putranto (right) generally works past his shift until midnight. (Photo courtesy: Wisnu Hani Putranto)
While they are mostly understanding, they sometimes ask when they can spend time together, he said.
Putranto also explained that his work is risky since there are prisoners who have other infectious diseases such as tuberculosis. Some are also HIV positive. They are guarded in separate rooms, and the prison has doctors and nurses to take care of them.
“Then our work is extraordinary. We have to take care of the naughty and sick people, “he said.
Putranto believed that if there were more CCTV cameras in place and each inmate was given electronic bracelets, the guards did not need to be physically close to the inmates.
However, this requires a budget that they do not have.
“I just hope this COVID-19 pandemic ends soon. And that no member of staff will contract the disease because if one person has it, it will affect thousands of inmates.
“And if an inmate becomes infected, the risk of spreading the virus is very high and could lead to riots and chaos,” he said.
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