Tawi, sat silently on the ground in the front yard of the Cipinang Penitentiary in East Jakarta, was waiting her turn to see her son who had been in prison for almost two years. The 40-year-old woman had been waiting for one-and-a-half hours, along with hundreds of people wanting to visit inmates during the Idul Fitri holiday period.

Her eyes glistened with tears when she explained that it’s her second time celebrating Idul Fitri without her youngest son who was arrested for possession of crystal methamphetamines.

“I feel something is missing when I don’t see him at home during Idul Fitri and he should not be here as he was only riding a motorcycle with his friend whom he did not know was carrying [the drug] in his bag when he was arrested,” Tawi said on Thursday.

She also added that she could not afford to bring her other two children and grandchildren as she lived in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta.

Another visitor, Sri Wahyuni said she had not visited Cipinang Detention Center before, which was built next to Cipinang Penitentiary, as she felt overwhelmed by the noisy crowds there.

Sri, carrying her 10-year old son and her 3-year old daughter, wanted to see her husband who was also in prison for drug possession.

“I feel abandoned, and it’s Idul Fitri now. It's devastating to celebrate it without him,” Sri said, adding that she had to lie to her daughter that her father is in a hospital, although she said that her youngest child had begun to realize her mother’s lie.

Visitors to both the penitentiary and detention center have less than an hour to see their family members while normally they can get up to one-and-a-half hours visiting time.

Cipinang Penitentiary warden Heru Prasetyo said on the first day of Idul Fitri, there were 2,578 visitors, and a slight increase was seen the following day as 2,914 people visited. The total numbers of inmates in the penitentiary is 2,860.

Meanwhile, Tri Purnomo of the detention center recorded that there were 1,035 visitors on the first day of Idul Fitri and also predicted a similar number of visitors for the second day. The number of people in custody at the center is 3,839.

The penitentiary opens for visitors from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., while the detention center opens from 8:30 a.m. to 17:30 p.m. because of the higher number of visitors. Both establishments will be open until July 8 during the Idul Fitri holiday period.

Patience -- Hundreds of family members of inmates are queuing to meet their relatives at the Cipinang Penitentiary, East Jakarta, on Thursday.(The Jakarta Post/Winda Charmila)

Source:
courtesy of THE JAKARTA POST

by Jakarta Post

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