Attorney General Issues Guidelines For Rehabilitation Of Narcotics Users

Attorney General ST Burhanuddin/PHOTO VIA ANTARA

JAKARTA - Attorney General ST Burhanuddin issued Guidelines Number 18 of 2021 for public prosecutors so that they have a reference in handling narcotics abuse cases through rehabilitation.

Thus, the guidelines are expected to be one way to reduce the problem of overcapacity in prisons, because prosecutors can optimize other punishment options, namely rehabilitation.

"The background for the issuance of these guidelines is that the criminal justice system tends to be punitive, as reflected in the number of inmates who exceed the capacity (overcrowding) and most of them are convicts of narcotics crimes," said Head of the Attorney General's Office for Legal Information Center Leonard Eben Ezer Simanjuntak, quoted by Antara, Sunday, November 7th.

Leonard emphasized that prosecutors at the prosecution stage had the option of rehabilitating drug users rather than demanding imprisonment.

"The completion of the handling of criminal cases of narcotics abuse through rehabilitation is a mechanism that cannot be separated from the implementation of restorative justice," said Leonard.

"With the spirit to restore the original situation, which was carried out by recovering the perpetrators of the crime of narcotics abuse who were victimless crimes," he explained.

Since the guidelines came into effect on November 1, 2021, the handling of narcotics abuse cases whose cases have not been transferred to court can refer to Guidelines Number 18 of 2021, Leonard said.

He said the Attorney General hoped that the guidelines would be used optimally by public prosecutors who handle narcotics abuse cases.

"The Attorney General of the Republic of Indonesia hopes that Guidelines No. 18 of 2021 concerning the Settlement of Handling of Criminal Cases of Narcotics Abuse through Rehabilitation with a Restorative Justice Approach as the Implementation of the Prosecutor's Dominus Litis Principle to be carried out by the public prosecutor as well as possible with a full sense of responsibility," said Leonard.

Guideline Number 18 of 2021, signed by the Attorney General, consists of 9 chapters that regulate procedures for pre-prosecution, prosecution, supervision, training, and financing for the completion of the handling of criminal cases of narcotics abuse through rehabilitation.