The island was made into a prison island during the era of Dutch rule.
The colonial government built a high security prison on the isolated island to exile criminals and political dissidents.
The prison on Nusa Kambangan was opened in the mid-1920s by Indonesia's Dutch colonial rulers and was once considered the harshest penal institution in Southeast Asia.
The island was declared off-limits in 1905 by the Dutch.

Its use as a prison island continued after independence.
During the rule of former President Suharto, hundreds of political dissidents were imprisoned on the island.
Most were political prisoners, members of the banned Communist Party of Indonesia or sympathizers.
These political prisoners were never brought to trial, and many of them died from hunger or illness.

In 1996, the island was opened to the public as a tourist destination.

The island has also been involved in refugee handling.
About 140 Afghan refugees were detained on the island after their boat, which was en route to Christmas Island, Australia, sank in rough seas on August 17, 2001.
However, more than 90 of these refugees would later escape on September 19, 2001, sailing away in small fishing boats and are believed to have headed for Australia.

The island was affected by the 2006 Pangandaran earthquake and tsunami, when a 7.7-magnitude undersea earthquake occurred off the coast of  west Java.
At least 11 villagers disappeared and 8 people were killed in the ensuing tsunami, two of which were prisoners at one of the Permisan prisons.
At least fifteen inmates on Nusa Kambangan were also missing.
The island was made into a prison island during the era of Dutch rule. The colonial government built a high security prison on the isolated island to exile criminals and political dissidents. The prison on Nusa Kambangan was opened in the mid-1920s by Indonesia's Dutch colonial rulers and was once considered the harshest penal institution in Southeast Asia. The island was declared off-limits in 1905 by the Dutch.
Its use as a prison island continued after independence. During the rule of former President Suharto, hundreds of political dissidents were imprisoned on the island. Most were political prisoners, members of the banned Communist Party of Indonesia or sympathizers. These political prisoners were never brought to trial, and many of them died from hunger or illness.
In 1996, the island was opened to the public as a tourist destination.
The island has also been involved in refugee handling. About 140 Afghan refugees were detained on the island after their boat, which was en route to Christmas Island, Australia, sank in rough seas on August 17, 2001. However, more than 90 of these refugees would later escape on September 19, 2001, sailing away in small fishing boats and are believed to have headed for Australia.
The island was affected by the 2006 Pangandaran earthquake and tsunami, when a 7.7-magnitude undersea earthquake occurred off the coast of  west Java. At least 11 villagers disappeared and 8 people were killed in the ensuing tsunami, two of which were prisoners at one of the Permisan prisons. At least fifteen inmates on Nusa Kambangan were also missing.
Nusa Kambangan