Pubdate: Fri, 05 Nov 2010
Source: Jakarta Post (Indonesia)
Copyright: The Jakarta Post
Contact:  http://www.thejakartapost.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/645
Author: Saky Pawas

INDONESIAN POLICE SAY JAIL CELLS NO HELP IN DRUG WAR

The Jakarta Police are considering handing narcotics
producers and traffickers hefty fines rather than locking them up,
arguing that imprisonment did not appear to be an effective deterrent
and was getting too costly for the state.

Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Sutarman said that fines and
confiscation of property were believed to be better strategies for
dealing with drug-related crime, both by users and
traffickers.

"All money they've got should be confiscated by the state. They don't
need to be put in prison. Since they don't have money anymore, they
won't be able to buy [drugs] again." Sutarman said.

Speaking at a coordination meeting on drug abuse, he said that the
money taken from offenders could be used for preventing drug abuse.

"And we do not have to provide health services, a place to stay and
food [for drug offenders in jail]. The money we save can be used for
preventive measures, such as educating society," he said.

Only when a drug trafficker cannot pay the fine would he go to jail,
he added.

Sutarman said jails were overcrowded and that more than 40 percent of
capacity was taken up by drug offenders.

"If jails are already full and people who violate the law are also set
to become a burden for the state, why don't we change this? I think we
need a strategic decision, to be taken by the government and the
legislature," he said.

Prison sentences, he said, appeared ineffective in stopping drug
traffickers and producers, as statistics showed that the number of
drug-related cases is continuing to climb.

"We can see that drug abuse cases rise year after year -- involving
users, traffickers and producers," he said.

"Our understanding of the problem would have to be taken to a
different level," the police chief said, adding that courts should
differentiate users with traffickers and producers.

"A drug user is indeed an offender, but he is a victim too, because he
has to keep on buying and using, turning him into a slave. Thus, there
should be a differentiation in the handling of these victims," he said.

According to Sutarman, it would be much wiser if drug users were not
put in jail but in a rehabilitation center, which is currently not an
option. "

Many of the people crowding the jails are in fact users," he
said.

To differentiate users from dealers, Sutarman proposed to looking at
the amount of drugs found on the person, as users usually consume the
drugs immediately after purchase.

The amount allowable for users would be around 0.5 of a gram, he said.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake