The prison was built by the Dutch colonial administration, during the Indonesian National Revival.

[2] Human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch alleged that the Suharto administration used Cipinang and other prisons to silence opponents from the Sukarno administration and Irian Jaya.

[6] After Suharto's resignation in 1998, new President Jusuf Habibie released Pamungkas, Pakpahan, and Gusmão.

[7] Abu Bakar Bashir, the spiritual leader of Islamist terrorist group, Jemaah Islamiyah, was imprisoned in Cipinang.

[8] The former governor of Jakarta, Ahok, was imprisoned here,[9] but was released in January 2019 after receiving a two-month remission.