Discussing Revision Of Narcotics Law, Menkumham Wants Rules For Rehabilitation Mechanism For Addicts

Minister Yasonna Laoly (Photo: Nailin In Saroh/VOI)

JAKARTA - Commission III of the DPR RI held a working meeting with the Minister of Law and Human Rights Yasonna H Laoly, representatives of the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform, Thursday, March 31. The working meeting listened to the opinion of the government and factions regarding the revision of Law Number 35 of 2009 concerning Narcotics.

In the meeting, Menkumham Yasonna said the government wanted the revision of Law No. 35 of 2009 on Narcotics to regulate the improvement of rehabilitation provisions for drug addicts, abusers, and victims.

"Regulations for addicts, abusers, and victims of drug abuse in the Narcotics Law have not provided a clear conception," Yasonna said during the Commission III Working Meeting (Raker) of the Indonesian House of Representatives at the Parliament Complex, Jakarta, Thursday, March 31.

According to him, the same treatment between addicts, abusers, and victims of drug abuse with dealers or dealers, creates injustice in their handling. Therefore, Yasonna considered, the handling of drug addicts should be focused on rehabilitation with a comprehensive and accountable assessment mechanism.

"The integrated assessment team consists of medical and legal elements. The medical element consists of doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists while legal elements such as investigators, public prosecutors, and community advisory teams," he explained. The assessment team, said Yasonna, would later issue recommendations for drug addicts, whether they can be rehabilitated or not. Yasonna said that the rehabilitation approach for addicts rather than imprisonment is the application of restorative justice that emphasizes recovery efforts for victims. In addition, Yasonna added, the rehabilitation approach is also an effort by the government to reduce excess capacity in correctional institutions.

"Restorative justice is a measure of justice that is no longer based on retribution between victims and perpetrators physically, psychologically or in punishment. However, it provides support to victims and socializes perpetrators to take responsibility with the help of their families and communities," he said.