The Class IIB Manokwari prison is the only correctional institution in the region; thus, this is the place where all inmates live. However, the capacity of this prison is only for about 100 inmates, while there are more than 400 people in there.
This condition is not only over capacity but also unhealthy for inmates and officers. Therefore, the Manokwari regent, Hermus Indou decided to grant a 3-hectare land so they can build a bigger prison. This way, they can build a bigger building with complete facilities for the inmates and officers.
However, Hermus said that he is still preparing for the administration so they can build it in accordance with the Minister of Finance’s provision.
Aside from that, the construction of new correctional institutions is pretty complicated due to the unobstructed legal certainty requirement. Here are the details.
About Manokwari IIB Prison
The local government needs to relocate its class IIB Correctional institution Manokwari, because it is too densely populated. The normal capacity of this prison is 86 inmates. However, more than 370 inmates are residing within the facility.
Thus, the best solution to such a problem is to relocate them to a bigger place. Building a bigger prison is highly needed to provide better accommodation. Moreover, the government needs a bigger prison to anticipate the increasing crime rate in West Papuan capital city.
Here are several other reasons why the local government needs to relocate the Manokwari prison:
- Security emergency due to the imbalance number of inmates and prison personnel
- The prison has an old building, so it may endanger the residents; both inmates and the personnel
- The prison is very improper and dangerous because its party wall is close to the residential areas
- Lack of prison personnel so it could dangerous when watching over the inmates
- Bigger potential of prisoners escape due to the lack of supervision
That is why the head of West Papua province’s Ministry of Law and Human Rights Regional Office, Taufiqurrakhman stated that they need a new building for 1,000 inmates. The reason is its status as a provincial prison that should accommodate prisoners from the adjacent regions.
A New Land to Build Manokwari Prison
The land granted by the Manokwari regent is large enough to build the new future prison in Manokwari Papua due to its width, i.e., 3-hectares land. The location is in Anday, South Manokwari District. Thus, there will be no difficulties for the relocation.
Ideally, the prison should have a 20-meter radius of the fence as a way of protecting inmates, officers as well as residents within the area. Moreover, the Manokwari regency prison’s location should be far away from any residential areas to avoid any dangers.
They are still preparing for the legalization of the granted land by now, so they can start building it. However, the local government wants to finish this correctional institution in May 2023.
The Programs of Manokwari Prison
Head of Class IIB Manokwari Prison, Yulius Paath wants the prisoner to be independent so they can start their new life well after their release. Thus, they establish its Independence Development Program to help the inmates develop their potential.
Some of the inmate’s works of art were exhibited in Yogyakarta due to their collaboration with the Department of Tourism. The institution also collaborates with the Manokwari’s Department of Manpower and Transmigration (Depnakertrans) so the inmates can optimally develop their skills.
Conclusion
The Manokwari Class IIB prison is an improper correctional institution due to its overload capacity, lack of officers, and its location. Thus, they need to relocate it to a bigger and more proper one to accommodate more inmates in a better place.
The government hopes that they can build the prison according to the building pattern in the country so both the inmates and society will be benefited. Hopefully, this Class IIB Manokwari prison in West Papua, Indonesia, will be ready by May 2023.
