Indonesian law allows children as young as eight to be sent to prison, often for crimes such as petty theft and schoolyard fighting.

But a lack of juvenile jails means child offenders often from poor families - end up sharing space for months or even years with hardened adult criminals.

Calls to change the harsh laws are growing against child offenders and the constitutional court will soon make a decision about raising the minimum age for imprisonment from eight to 12 years.

Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen reports from Bogor in West Java. (24 April 2010)