Restorative Justice House Stands In Bantul, Kajati Hopes To Eliminate Prison Capacity Problems

The opening of the plaque marked the inauguration of the Restorative Justice House at the Trirenggo Village Hall, Bantul, DIY, Thursday 19 May. (ANTARA/Hery S)

YOGYAKARTA - Many prisons or state detention centers in the country exceed their capacity. Restorative Justice House is expected to overcome these problems.

The Head of the High Prosecutor's Office (Kajati) of the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY) Katarina Endang Sarwestri explained, the Restorative Justice House is a forum for resolving minor criminal cases outside the court through deliberation and consensus involving local community and religious leaders.

"This Restorative Justice may also reduce the occupancy rate of prisons that are already over (overcapacity) everywhere," said Katarina in her speech at the inauguration of the Restorative Justice House at the Trirenggo Village Hall, Bantul, DIY, Thursday 19 May.

Besides being able to reduce the occupancy rate of prisons, Katarina said, because litigants are taking the path of dialogue, she said, the existence of the institution as a space to return to its original state before the occurrence of a criminal act can prevent negative stigma in society.

"This also removes the negative stigma against the community. Actually, it's not because of bad intentions, but because there is no restorative justice so you have to go to prison, and out of there the community stigma becomes negative," he said.

He gave an example, a family member commits violence against another family member, it can result in reporting to the police for acts of domestic violence (KDRT) and can end up in jail.

"Many will experience losses in their families so how can the situation be reversed, victims can forgive, perpetrators can commit to not doing it again, of course community and religious leaders respond positively so they don't have to be put in prison," he said.

Meanwhile, the Regent of Bantul, Abdul Halim Muslih, added that the Restorative Justice House really supports the local government's vision of creating a harmonious society. "So, justice is still upheld. However, harmony must be sought so that it is fair and harmonious," he said.

He continued, "If the police report a little bit, the prison can be full later. When is the neighbor stealing mangoes being reported? "You can forgive me," he said.