Eight inmates escaped from Serang Penitentiary, Banten, on Wednesday after demolishing the ceiling and parts of the roof of a Block D cell.
The inmates were serving sentences of between two and eight years' imprisonment for a series of crimes, such as murder, extortion, theft and bullying.
"Most of them had served more than one third of their sentence and would have walked free within a few months," said Abdul Amin, head of the Justice and Human Rights Ministry's security and guidance department, on Thursday.
He said the inmates, who were placed in cell 12 of Block D. escaped from the prison at about 4.25 a.m. on Wednesday when officers were busily preparing breakfast and warden Achdiat Idi Permana was out of town.
He said after removing parts of the ceiling and roof, the inmates then climbed the four-meter-high prison wall with several sarongs they had tied together and crept out through an unguarded post.
"When the inmates escaped, the post was unmanned. We have reported this to Serang Police," Amin said, adding it was the first such incident at the prison this year.
Amin said all officers on duty when the inmates escaped would be questioned by police and if they were found negligent, the human rights ministry would deal with their punishments.
"Their punishments could be postponements of their promotions, demotions or removing them from their positions until dismissal. It all depends on their involvement in the matter," he said.
Amin said if the fugitives were found, they would likely lose their remission and visiting rights.
"Over capacity and lack of security facilities at the prison contributed to the inmates escape.
There are only 15 officers who have to control 967 inmates and the prison was only designed to accommodate 500 inmates," he said.
The Banten human rights office identified the fugitives as Kodar of Petamburan, Central Jakarta; Rahmat Latif of Cilegon; Sariman aka Tayul of Serang; Muhamad Hatta of Pandeglang; Saiful Huda aka Yuda of Tanah Tinggi, Central Jakarta; Aris Arifin of Pondok Gede, East Jakarta; Hendi of Serang; and Arifin aka Ipin of Cengkareng, West Jakarta.
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