THE complex is called LP Kerobokan. Like all Indonesian jails, the initials, LP, literally translated, means "socialisation institution".

For the Bali Nine it could be home for the rest of their lives. And given they are so young, that could be a very long time if a prisoner transfer scheme does not come off.

If there could be any bright side for the nine Australians whose lives intersected so dramatically this week with the judicial system of a country in the midst of a war on drugs, it is that they are in Bali and not jails in other parts of South-East Asia.

Some believe that being in LP Kerobokan is, in some ways, preferable to being in an Australian jail, where regimentation is the order of the day. If your sentence is not too long, that is.

Certainly LP Kerobokan is no Changi or Bangkok Hilton or anything like jails in the Philippines, where up to 50 prisoners share a cell. But it is still a jail where its 794 inhabitants have had their liberty taken from them.

In the middle of a burgeoning trendy suburb on the outskirts of Kuta, it is only in recent times that the place has taken on the aggressive appearance of an incarceration centre. It is called Kerobokan after the suburb in which it is located.

Shiny silver razor wire has been erected across the top of the walls and, following a riot last year amid calls for the Bali bombers to be executed, new security measures have been introduced. The three death-row Bali bombers have since been moved to a higher security jail in Java.

A cage with guards is now established around the rather nondescript wooden front doors. The warung, or cafe, which used to be run by prisoners, has been closed, some say after its prisoner proprietors got drunk on Arak, the local brew.

And one prisoner, serving a lengthy term for drugs, who used to freely walk in and out the front door, was recently sent packing back to his cell.

A local lawyer tells of seeing a client not long ago in a KFC outlet, a few days after he was sentenced to six months behind bars. The client told the surprised lawyer he was having an outing.

Recent drug raids inside the jail have netted hundreds of ecstasy pills under the floorboards, along with heroin, marijuana, amphetamines and cash. Even a guard was arrested with drugs in his house.

Regular raids on cells are now held in a bid to clean up the drug problem. Some have said it has been easier to get drugs inside LP Kerobokan than on the streets.

So how will the Bali Nine cope? When you are just 19, like Matthew Norman, or 20 like Scott Rush and Michael Czugaj, it must seem like an eternity.

The truth is they will cope better if they have a ready supply of money or relatives and friends on the outside to help.

The first thing is to eat properly and for Westerners, of whom there are now 24 in Kerobokan, the jail food is said to be neither sufficient or nutritious.

The food cart is reportedly a big drum with crusty dried food on the sides. It contains rice full of sticks, dirt and stones.

The secret to survival is to be equipped with a little gas camp stove and cooking implements and have someone on the outside to bring a supply of fresh meat, vegetables and fruit.

This is problem No.1 for the Bali Nine. Their families live in Australia, many with only the resources to visit a few times a year. The challenge is to find a way for their children to have healthy food day in and day out.

On this front Schapelle Corby has been fortunate, so far. Her sister, Mercedes, has been living in Bali since her arrest. Along with other family members, Mercedes is able to bring her what she needs. But it all comes at a cost; a cost some Bali Nine families are wondering whether they can afford.

There are other health issues. Vitamins and supplements are almost necessities in such an environment. But they, too, come at a cost and require someone from outside to bring them for prisoners. There is a jail doctor, a psychiatrist and a methadone program inside the jail.

The jail's doctor, Dr Agung Hartawan, says skin conditions, rashes and itches regularly occur. He says this is partly due to overcrowding in some cells where ventilation is poor and prisoners sleep in close quarters.

Stomach problems caused by poor sanitation are also common. Hartawan says Westerners particularly take time to adapt and ward off the dreaded Bali belly.

Psychiatrist Dr Danny Thong says one of the most difficult things for the Bali Nine to cope with now is the feeling of isolation. He says prisoners often panic and seek solace in drugs in a bid to ward off their loneliness and boredom. So far, though, he has not been called in to treat any members of the Bali Nine.

After his only daughter, Renae, was sentenced to life in jail this week, Bob Lawrence wondered how she would cope. He is not getting younger and barely had the money to get to Bali this trip for the verdict, let alone repeated visits. It pains him to think she will spend so long there and he knows one day he will be gone.

Michele Stephens has been living in Bali for four months to support her son, Martin, since the trials began. She will soon go home to Wollongong and is working hard to ensure her son has all he needs.

Corruption has long been rampant in Indonesia and the jails, not surprisingly, are no exemption. Money goes a long way towards making life comfortable; to getting some home comforts in one's cell.

It's easier inside Kerobokan for the men than the women. Authorities are keen to avoid unwanted pregnancies and like to keep the men and women prisoners segregated where possible. Fable has it that with a bit of money on the side one can secure a conjugal session or even time outside the jail walls. Alcohol can also be obtained for the right price.

But in recent times, with the new security crackdown and the regular drug raids, some things are slowly changing.

Life in Kerobokan can be dreary. Unlike Australian prisons there are no chances to study at university and complete degrees, there is no big library or computers. Sport is available but more for the men than the women.

Rush said recently he was teaching Indonesian prisoners how to play rugby, one of his passions when he was a teenager.

Before the Aussies' arrival the Indonesian prisoners had never even seen a football and he says proudly they are getting better. Martin Stephens is learning to play badminton, a game much-loved in Indonesia.

Many have turned to God, renewing their childhood faith or becoming new converts. Stephens says he is working to get some English language church services up and running.

This week, as they went through the stress of their verdicts, some members of the nine were comforted by Sydney pastor Mal Feebrey and motivational speaker Justin Herald, who have been visiting them at the jail and been with them in court.

Last weekend, on the eve of the verdicts, Feebrey held a church service for members of the Bali Nine and their families.

He has visited Kerobokan Jail many times since baptising Corby there early last year. He says the nine are coping in different ways given their very different personalities.

Feebrey and Herald have spent a lot of time with Andrew Chan this week and say the Chan portrayed in court and for the cameras is a long way from the real person they see.

The smiling and joking Chan captured on camera, is a facade, they say, partly to help his parents at home whom he does not want to see upset.

In Kerobokan the foreign male prisoners are kept in one cell block. Rush has a cell to himself, a luxury, which he says he is working hard to keep clean and tidy. If one pays, one is allowed to build a wooden bed and have a proper mattress and, it's said, money can even secure a Western-style toilet.

The cells have Asian-style squat toilets and mandis (a square tub of cold water to ladle over one's body with a small bucket), which is the Indonesian version of a shower. However, the water is harsh and often causes skin rashes.

Some prisoners have TVs and other home comforts but these are not provided and are luxuries for those who can afford them.

Compared to Australian prisons, which have strict visiting hours, conditions are more relaxed in Bali. Prisoners can have visitors every day of the week from 9.30am to 12.30pm and again in the afternoon. Visits are full contact, sitting on mats on the floor or ground, and it's no problem to spread out a picnic.

The Bali Nine has been in Kerobokan since last year and have begun to map out lives for themselves inside. They had hoped that this week they would be told it would not be for the rest of their lives.

They were wrong.