© Facebook/@purwo.ardoko
Jakarta non-active governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama was sentenced to two years in prison for blasphemy on Tuesday. Ahok was detained in Cipinang top-security prison before transferred to Mobile Brigade Command headquarters detention center (Mako Brimob) yesterday.
The Cipinang Penitentiary itself is a top-security prison, capable of holding up to 1,500 to 4,000 prisoners. Some activists, political dissidents, spiritual leader of terrorist group and some corruptors like M. Nazaruddin and Jero Wacik are also known to be inmates of this prison.
Behind the fame of Cipinang Penentiary, there's animportant figure who took a big part in establishing the compelx and Indonesia's current detention system.
MeetPurwo Ardoko.
He was born in Jombang, East Java and graduated from Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS). Purwo's carreer began in 1986 when he was an independent expert in one of the consultants working on the draft for Tangerang Women's Prison.
The father of three used to be an honorary employee in the Department of Public Works until 1990. The monetary crisis that hit the country on 1998 even forced him to become a hair polish seller.
Photo: Facebook/@purwo.ardoko
In1999, his friend offered a modern prison construction project. "My friend said the Justice Department needs a sketch for a modern prison," he said.
First he studied the vision and mission of the department about the jail before performing a field survey where hevoluntarilybecame an inmate in Cipinang Prison to gain insight about life behind bars.
"I stayed for three days in Cipinang, becoming an inmate," he said.
In the prison, he noticed the culture and habits of the inmates. Purwo also discovered how prisoners were offered better rooms for money.
He learnt how to livein groups or gangs. Having born in Jombang made him "owned" by Surabayan gang. For three days, Purwo had to pay Rp 75 thousand for the gang's leader.
"I got no sleeping mats. [I used] only a newspeper and I had to bought it first. The pillow were made of pile of clothes," he continued.
Then, healso asked to "explore" Salemba Prison in Central Jakarta and Sukamiskin Prison in Bandung. Not only that, he also observed prisonsin Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, China, and Thailand.
He said that the Indonesian prison is outclassed in the facility and number of employees but outperforms at the system.
Purwo then started to plan the design. The principles were low cost, easy maintenance and easy operation.
His first project was Cipinang Narcotics Prison. The construction took 2.5 years to finish and was inaugurated in 2003 by former President Megawati Soekarnoputri.
The prison design planning referred to the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, a part of the 1977 UN Resolution, that ordered a consideration of space, lighting and sanitation for the inmates' wellness.
As a result, a blueprint of modern Indonesian prison cells and building that has been used as a prototype for the ideal penentiaries throughout the country.
According to Purwo's plan, each person requires 5.4 square meters for mobility. The cells need to be at least 4 meters tall and has a 20 percent of the surface area for ventilationso inmates can get adequate air circulation.
For sanitation, toilet has to be provided.
The walls should becoated with antifungal paints to avoid sulfuric materials that could result in erosion.
The outer walls are to be made to withstand impact with the durability of 2 tons per point. The walls are to be built of reinforced concrete cased with a thickmess of 20 centimeters. The grate is a prime choice material with 20 millimeters in diameter.
"With this, it would take 10 people to smash the wall and an hour non-stop to saw the bars," he explained.
Security factors are important parts of prison development and they include safety fences, security posts, guard towers, control room, door setups and inhibition of access between rooms.
Sterile area also participates in minimizing any effort to escape the building. The safety fences consist of four layers outside the building. With such an architecture, Purwo said, if any of the prisoners manage to escape, then it could be assured that there is a conspiracy with the officers.
"[An] escape [happened] not because of the building, but the system or undisciplined officers," added Purwo.
(brl/red)
