Surabaya (Indonesia), 14 December 2021 - The prisoners’ assessment and classification tools are one of the fundamental components of good prison management. They enable the efficient use of resources, individualisation of sentences, development of proportionate rehabilitation programmes and upholding human rights.
UNODC Indonesia supports Indonesia’s management of violent extremist prisoners (VEPs) by fostering good coordination among the Directorate General of Corrections (DGC), National Counter-Terrorism Agency (BNPT), Indonesia National Police’s DENSUS-88, Attorney General Office (AGO) and Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA). These institutions attended a two-day consultative interagency meeting in Surabaya last week.
The positive aspect of the management of VEPs in Indonesia is the robust engagement among the governing agencies and institutions and with civil society organisations (CSOs). However, this situation could result in the creation of various instruments to assess and classify the VEPs. Furthermore, it could become an issue if there is no good understanding, coordination, and collaboration within the government institutions—the interagency meeting help to prevent these issues.
The interagency meeting was held in Surabaya in a hybrid face-to-face and through a virtual platform from 9 to 10 December 2021. It was divided into the discussion on assessment and classification tools for VEPs during the first day and rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for violent extremist offenders (VEOs) during the second day. These topics are considered the two most important aspects in the management of prison and providing services to VEPs. The meeting was attended by 24 participants from DGC, BNPT, DENSUS 88, AGO, and MoSA, including five experts from three different countries and UNODC Indonesia.
The meeting participants discussed the technical assistance for strengthening the classification and assessment of VEPs and the comprehensive approach in rehabilitation and reintegration of VEOs.
Mr. Liberti Sitinjak, Director of Correctional Social Guidance and Juvenile Treatment at the DGC, Mr. Rabby Pramudatama, National Programme Coordinator for Criminal Justice at UNODC, and representatives from MoSA, BNPT and DENSUS 88 opened the consultative meeting on Thursday, 9 December 2021. Mr. Sitinjak warmly welcomed the initiative as a complementary component for DGC regarding prisoners’ assessment and classification. Mr. Sitinjak also emphasised the importance of data and information sharing among governing agencies or institutions to improve the quality in assessing, classifying, and programming the rehabilitation for VEPs.
