The Impact of Pre-Trial Detention on Prison Overcrowding: Perspectives From Indonesia's Criminal Justice System

Hamja Hamja

doi:10.25072/jwy.v8i1.4303

The Impact of Pre-Trial Detention on Prison Overcrowding: Perspectives From Indonesia's Criminal Justice System

Hamja Hamja

Abstract

The decision to detain suspects in detention centers or prisons has contributed to the rising occupancy rates, leading to overcrowding in prisons. This study aims to understand the fundamental values underpinning the implementation of pre-trial detention policies in Indonesia and their impact on the increased congestion in prison facilities. The study employs a descriptive approach with a normative juridical research type. The issues are examined using statutory and conceptual approaches. Data collection is conducted through a literature review, and the data is analyzed qualitatively. The research findings reveal that the law provides a robust foundation for implementing alternative offender penalties aside from imprisonment. However, the understanding of law enforcement officers as instruments of law enforcement still tends to favour decisions on pre-trial detention and large-scale detentions. Social and political factors remain the primary basis for the application of suspect detention, subsequently driving the escalation of prison overcrowding cases.

Keywords

Criminal Justice System; Pre-Trial Detention; Prison Overcrowding.

Full Text:

PDF

References

Brink, Yannick van den. “Young, Accused and Detained; Awful, But Lawful? Pre-Trial Detention and Children’s Rights Protection in Contemporary Western Societies.” Youth Justice 19, No. 3 (December 1, 2019): 238–261. https://doi.org/10.1177/1473225419884658.

DeGirolami, Marc O. “Reconstructing Malice in the Law of Punitive Damages.” Legal Studies Research Paper Series 20, No. 18 (2020): 1–48.

Ekardt, Felix, Benedikt Jacobs, Jessica Stubenrauch, and Beatrice Garske. “Peatland Governance: The Problem of Depicting in Sustainability Governance, Regulatory Law, and Economic Instruments.” Land 9, No. 3 (2020). https://doi.org/10.3390/land9030083.

Fronius, Trevor, Sean Darling-Hammond, Hannah Persson, Sarah Guckenburg, Nancy Hurley, and Anthony Petrosino. “Restorative Justice in U.S. Schools: An Updated Research Review,” 2019. http://jprc.wested.org/.

Gorczeski, Vinicius. “Pretrial Detention and Its ( Ab ) Use in Brazil : Pathways to Overcome Prison Overcrowding and a Rule of Law Issue.” MTA Law Working Papers. Budapest, 2019.

Haeranah, Achmad Dzulfikar Musakkir, Jims Oktovianus, and Miftah Idris. “Comparison Of The Pretrial System In Indonesia And The US.” International Journal of Education, Vocational and Social Science 02, No. 3 (2023): 153-167.

Heard, Catherine, and Helen Fair. Pre-Trial Detention and Its Over-Use Evidence From Ten Countries. Birkbeck: Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research, 2019. https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/30084/.

Hout, Marie Claire Van, and Des Crowley. “The ‘Double Punishment’ of Transgender Prisoners: A Human Rights-Based Commentary on Placement and Conditions of Detention.” International Journal of Prisoner Health 17, No. 4 (2021): 439–451. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPH-10-2020-0083.

Iqsandri, Rai, and Andrew Shandy Utama. “Analisa Hukum Pemberian Grasi Terhadap Terpidana Kasus Korupsi Gubernur Riau Annas Maamun.” Ensiklopedia Sosial Review 3, No. 2 (2021): 179–186. https://doi.org/10.33559/esr.v3i2.783.

Jenness, Valerie. “The Social Ecology of Sexual Victimization against Transgender Women Who Are Incarcerated: A Call for (More) Research on Modalities of Housing and Prison Violence.” Criminology and Public Policy 20, No. 1 (2021): 3–18. https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9133.12540.

Louis, Stacie St. “The Pretrial Detention Penalty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Pretrial Detention and Case Outcomes.” Justice Quarterly 41, No. 3 (2024): 347–370. https://doi.org/10.1080/07418825.2023.2193624.

Martufi, Adriano, and Christina Peristeridou. “The Purposes of Pre-Trial Detention and the Quest for Alternatives.” European Journal of Crime, Criminal Law and Criminal Justice 28, No. 2 (2020): 153–174. https://doi.org/10.1163/15718174-bja10002.

Maya, Genoveva Allicia K S, and Erasmus A. T. Napitupulu. “Anak Dalam Ancaman Penjara: Potret Pelaksanaan UU SPPA 2018 (Riset Putusan Peradilan Anak Se-DKI Jakarta 2018).” Jakarta: Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR), 2019.

Najibur Rohman, M. “Jurnal Ilmiah Ilmu Hukum Tinjauan Yuridis Normatif Terhadap Regulasi Mata Uang Kripto (Crypto Currency) Di Indonesia.” Jurnal Supremasi 11, No. 2 (2021): 1–10. https://ejournal.unisbablitar.ac.id/index.php/supremasi.

Napitupulu, Fernando Tumbur Josua, and Hery Firmansyah. “The Implementation of Article 77 KUHAP Regarding Status of Suspects in Pre-Trial Criminal Justice System in Indonesia.” In Proceedings of the 3rd Tarumanagara International Conference on the Applications of Social Sciences and Humanities (TICASH 2021), 655:857–861, 2022. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.220404.136.

Rani, Tabinda, and Noor Ullah Khan. “Causes and Consequences of Overcrowding of Women Inmates in Prisons: A Case Study of Prisons in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.” Pakistan Journal of Criminology. Vol. 13, 2021.

Sims, Kaitlyn M., Jeremy Foltz, and Marin Elisabeth Skidmore. “Prisons and COVID-19 Spread in the United States.” American Journal of Public Health 111, No. 8 (2021): 1534–41. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306352.

Sutrisno, Sugeng. “Pre-Trial in the Criminal Justice System in Military Criminal Judges in Indonesia.” International Journal of Business and Social Science Research 2, No. 11 (2021): 1–9. https://doi.org/10.47742/ijbssr.v2n11p1.

Szafra?ska, Urszula. “Excessive Length of Pretrial Detention in the Light of Jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights.” Kwartalnik Prawa Mi?dzynarodowego I, No. I (September 30, 2022): 189–218. https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0015.9891.

Trofimova, M.S. “Experience of Legal Clinics in Matters of Legal Representation of Clients’ Interests: Difference of Approaches.” Proceedings of International Scientific and Practical Conference “Russia 2020 - a New Reality: Economy and Society” (ISPCR 2020) 164, No. I (2020) (2021): 0–3. https://doi.org/10.2991/aebmr.k.210222.079.

Turangan, Doortje Durin, Emma V.T. Senewe, Wempie Jh. Kumendong, and Jemmy Sondakh. “The Right to Life Based on Human Rights Principles: A Normative Study of the Death Penalty in Indonesia.” Journal of The Community Development in Asia. Vol. 4, 2021. https://doi.org/10.32535/jcda.v4i2.1095.

Utami Larasati, Nadia, Fahlesa Munabari, and Untung Sumarwan. “Prison Overcrowding: Alternative Sentencing in Indonesia’s Draft Criminal Code and Its Consequences on Correctional System.” Udayana Journal of Law and Culture 6, No. 1 (2022): 42. https://doi.org/10.24843/ujlc.2021.v06.i01.p03.

Willigenburg, Theo Van, and Eduardus Van Der Borght. “Attacking Punitive Retribution at Its Heart - A Restorative Justice Thrust.” International Journal of Public Theology 15, No. 3 (2021): 401–425. https://doi.org/10.1163/15697320-01530007.

Zinedine, Diego, Dwi Hapsari Retnaningrum, and Weda Kupita. “Tinjauan Yuridis Penjatuhan Pidana Penjara Lebih Singkat Dari Masa Penahanan Dalam Tindak Pidana Penyebaran Informasi Kebencian (Studi Putusan Nomor: 77/Pid.Sus/2018/PN. Bnr).” Sudirman Law Review 4, No. 2 (2022): 164–172.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.25072/jwy.v8i1.4303