GOI UNDERSCORES NEED FOR REFORM--AND PRESENTS PLAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001375 SIPDIS DEPT FOR DS/ICI/RFJ, DS/IP/EAP, DS/DSS/ITA, DS/CC, DS/IIP/SC, EAP, EAP/MTS, INL FOR BOULDIN, USAID/MCC DOJ FOR AAG SWARTZ, OPDAT FOR LEHMANN/ALEXANDRE FBI FOR ETTUI/SSA ROTH NCTC WASHDC E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/14/2018 TAGS: PGOV PTER KJUS PREL ID SUBJECT: GOI UNDERSCORES NEED FOR REFORM--AND PRESENTS PLAN REF: A. 08 JAKARTA 0545 ¶B. 08 JAKARTA 0748 ¶C. 07 JAKARTA 1859 JAKARTA 00001375 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Pol/C Joseph L. Novak, reasons 1.4(b+d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: At a July 9 meeting, Indonesia's Director General for Corrections solicited feedback on a blueprint for prison reform from a group of experts, diplomats and other GOI officials. The Director General was candid about failings in the prison system (weak security controls, overcrowding, spread of disease, etc.),stressing that the plan would work to address these problems. ¶2. (C) SUMMARY (Con'd): Participants were encouraged by the candor of the discussion, though there was concern about the GOI's ability to move forward with its reform plans. Mission looks forward to further consultations with the GOI as we implement a planned project with the GOI regarding the de-radicalization of terrorist prisoners (ref C). END SUMMARY GOI MEETING RE PRISON REFORM ¶3. (SBU) The GOI recently hosted an important meeting re prison reform. The Ministry of Law and Human Rights' Directorate for Corrections and the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) jointly hosted the meeting on July 9 in Jakarta. The event provided a forum for the announcement and description of a draft blueprint on prison reform developed by the Directorate General, with assistance from the Asia Foundation. ¶4. (SBU) UNODC used the forum to present best practices in international prison reform as well as HIV/AIDS prevention in prison settings. Attendees included representatives from: Mission; the Asia Foundation; UNODC; the Department of Foreign Affairs; the Directorate General for Corrections; the national police; academia; civil society; the diplomatic community; and, the counterterrorism desk at the Coordinating Ministry for Politics, Law and Security. Several of the attendees had participated in a USG INL/ICITAP-funded training program (ref A) at the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation (JCLEC) in Semarang, Central Java. Dr. H. Mochamad Sueb, Director of Registrations for the Director General of Prisons, moderated the discussion. PRESENTING REFORM BLUEPRINT ¶5. (SBU) The GOI carefully reviewed its blueprint. Untung Sugiono, the Director General for corrections, summarized in his opening remarks the current limitations of Indonesia's prison system, echoing media criticism and Post's reporting (see ref B). He cited prison overcrowding, increased spread of disease, weak security controls and human-resource limitations, inter alia. He stressed that the blueprint represented the Directorate General's desire to improve the prisons by reforming the budgeting and planning processes, enhancing human resources capacity, instituting standard operating procedures and improving cooperation with law-enforcement authorities by revising the legal framework for that cooperation. MAJOR CRITICISMS ¶6. (SBU) The presentation of the plan sparked a series of comments from participants concerning the current state of Indonesian prisons. The harshest critics were GOI counterterrorism and police officials. Ali Ardjoeno, a counterterrorism official, told Sugiono that preventing JAKARTA 00001375 002.2 OF 002 terrorism was not just a law enforcement issue but required a "soft power" approach to correct radical inmates' views. In his view, prisons sometimes became "a boarding school" for new terrorists and noted media reports that currently incarcerated terrorists had delivered recruitment speeches in prisons. Ardjoeno asked that the handling of terrorists be specifically addressed in the blueprint and stressed that those who perpetrated "extraordinary" crimes required "extraordinary" methods of detainment. ¶7. (SBU) Indonesian police voiced frustration that the presentation did not address detaining institutions, which were distinct from correctional facilities. Noting that security systems were not addressed by the blueprint presentation, they stressed that it was imperative for correctional facilities to prevent prisoners from escaping. They also agreed that special crimes, such as drug abuse and terrorism, required special prisons or separate detention. ¶8. (SBU) Dr. H. Mochamad Sueb, Director of Registrations for the Director General of Prisons, highlighted the key recommendations of the audience and proposed the use of a prisoner database to track categories of prisoners, including women and children, involved in terrorism and drug offenses (he said drug offenses constituted 60 percent of cases). He also supported the use of separate prisons for these various groups of criminals. THE IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGE ¶9. (C) Colleagues from the United Kingdom, Canadian, and Australian Embassies told poloff that they were encouraged by the candor of the discussion and the level of criticism from Indonesian participants. They expressed doubt that the blueprint would reach full implementation. That said, the acknowledgment that specific categories of prisoners required separate handling and the proposal for a prisoner database was encouraging. ¶10. (C) Although the blueprint for prison reform is still in an early phase and the will to implement the reforms remains to be demonstrated, the GOI does seem serious about reform. The introduction of standard operating procedures and the separate treatment of terrorist prisoners specifically would (if implemented) facilitate Mission's planned assistance regarding the de-radicalization of terrorist prisoners (ref C). HUME