Almost all prisons in Indonesia are overcrowded.

Overcrowding in correctional facilities (lapas) in Indonesia is a long-standing problem. According to data from the Directorate General of Corrections, Ministry of Law and Human Rights of the Republic of Indonesia (Kemenkumham) as of September 12, 2021, the capacity of prisons across 33 Regional Offices (Kanwil) was 134,835, but the inmate population reached 271,007. This represents an excess capacity of 136,173 inmates, or double the total capacity (101%).

Prisons in Riau province recorded the highest overcrowding, reaching 230.42% over capacity. The capacity is only 4,067, but it houses 13,438 inmates. Next, prisons in North Kalimantan and East Kalimantan (still combined in the data) experienced 218.2% overcrowding. With a capacity of only 3,977, these prisons housed 12,655 inmates.

Overcrowding also occurred in Jakarta's prisons, with a 198.71% excess capacity. The capacity in the capital city is 5,992, but it houses 17,899 inmates. According to Kemenkumham, only prisons in Gorontalo, Yogyakarta, and North Maluku Regional Offices were not overcrowded.

Of the total prison population, 49,391 were detainees and 221,616 were convicts. Furthermore, 129,946 inmates were incarcerated for general crimes, and 141,061 for special crimes.

For information, the Class I Tangerang prison in Tangerang City caught fire on September 8, 2021, resulting in 46 reported deaths. Such prison fires have occurred several times; one contributing factor to the high death toll is prison overcrowding.