A gym, a golf simulator and ten apartments, inside a state prison

Ombudsman inspectors made a surprise visit to Cibinong prison, near Jakarta, on 23 September. On the four-hectare site they found a compound of more than ten apartment-style units, with air conditioners, big-screen televisions, refrigerators, sofas and dining areas. There was also a gym, a golf simulator still being built, and luxury vehicles. Al Jazeera reports that five officials, including the prison chief, have been suspended while the state checks whether the buildings were turned into unofficial housing for inmates. "We have suspended five structural officials, including the Cibinong prison chief, who are suspected of being responsible for the incident," said Rudi Setiawan, inspector general at the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections.

The Ombudsman's own wording is careful. Syafrida Rachmawati Rasahan, a member of the body, said inspectors found "strong indications that certain inmates had access to special facilities unavailable to ordinary prisoners." Cibinong holds people convicted of corruption among its inmates. So far no official has said who used the rooms, or whether staff were paid for them. Those are the two questions lawmakers, anti-corruption activists and watchdog groups are now pressing for.

None of this is a first. An investigation into Indonesian prisons back in 2010 already found inmates living in comfort behind bars, which is part of why the story travelled so fast this time: a golf simulator is an easy image to carry abroad. Suspension is also an administrative step, not a criminal charge. It moves five people off their jobs while the inquiry runs.

Why it matters

If someone in your family is in an ordinary crowded cell, this is the part that stings: the sentence a court hands down is not the sentence everyone serves. The real test is whether investigators name the inmates and follow the money, not just the staff. Watch whether the case reaches anyone above the prison gate, because privileges on this scale rarely survive without help further up.