A large-scale search is ongoing in Indonesia after more than 50 inmates staged a dramatic escape from Kutacane Penitentiary in Aceh.
Footage circulating on social media captures the chaotic scene, with prisoners scaling fences, darting past food vendors, and scrambling over the prison roof after forcing their way through the front gate.
Despite efforts by locals to intercept the escapees, authorities confirmed on Wednesday that 28 fugitives remain unaccounted for.
The mass breakout, which erupted during the evening meal queue on Monday, has drawn attention to Indonesia’s chronic prison overcrowding.
The country’s correctional facilities are struggling under immense pressure, with prisons operating at 87% over capacity, according to Immigration and Corrections Minister Agus Andrianto.
The situation at Kutacane is particularly dire—originally designed for just 100 inmates, the prison was holding 368 at the time of the escape.
Many of the incarcerated individuals were serving sentences for drug-related offenses. Mr. Andrianto has advocated for rehabilitating drug users rather than imprisoning them, a move that could alleviate some of the strain on the system.
Beyond overcrowding, staffing shortages have also been cited as a critical issue. A warden at the facility, Andi, told The Jakarta Post:, “The security ratio was unbalanced. If the inmates had incited a riot or attempted an escape, the available personnel would not have been enough to control the situation.”
In response, law enforcement teams are actively tracking down the remaining escapees while urging them to surrender to avoid harsher penalties.
The regional police chief, Doni Sumarsono,, emphasized, “We are still actively searching for the remaining fugitives and urge them to surrender. It’s better to turn yourselves in than face harsher sentences.”
This latest jailbreak adds to a growing list of prison escapes in Indonesia. In November last year, seven detainees fled a central Jakarta facility through a bathroom grille leading to a sewer. A separate incident in 2023 saw four inmates scale walls to break out of a prison in Central Kalimantan.
For now, authorities remain focused on recapturing the fugitives and addressing the deep-rooted issues plaguing the nation’s prison system.
