Jakarta, April 8 -- Indonesia revised its Criminal Code (KUHP) in 2023, legislating Law No. 1 of 2023, which will take effect in January next year, to address the overcrowding of correctional facilities, among other issues.

As of April 2024, the country's 532 prisons and detention centers housed 271,385 inmates, despite having the capacity for only 140,424 individuals. This means these facilities are extremely overcrowded, with roughly twice as many people as they can handle.

Out of all the people in prison and detention, more than half-135,823 individuals-are linked to crimes involving drug abuse or drug trafficking.

The new KUHP is expected to bring a fresh approach to handling this issue, as this legislation emphasizes restorative j...