Wamenkumham Edy: Correctional Bill Involves Ditjenpas Since Pre-Adjudication

JAKARTA - Deputy Minister of Law and Human Rights (Wamenkumham) Prof. Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej said the Correctional Bill (RUU) which is being pursued into law will involve the Directorate General of Corrections (Ditjenpas) since the pre-adjudication process.

"If it is legalized, then correctional facilities are involved from pre-adjudication or have been involved from the start," said Wamenkumham Prof Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej through the Ditjenpas YouTube channel which was monitored in Jakarta, reported by Antara, Monday, April 25.

Prof. Eddy, as he is familiarly called, said that the Correctional Bill prioritizes restorative justice. It was deliberately designed or structured as a solution to various problems in correctional facilities, one of which was the problem of excess occupancy in prisons.

"So it is clear that restorative justice is one solution to overcome the excess capacity of prison occupancy," he said.

With the application of restorative justice, the end of a criminal case does not end in prison but is resolved as best as possible.

This means, he said, justice for victims is restored and perpetrators are fostered not to repeat their actions or crimes in the future.

On that occasion, Prof. Eddy emphasized that one of the reasons for the overcrowding of prisons in the country, was that correctional facilities were not involved in the initial process of handling the law through which criminals went through.

"So, the problem of overcrowding is that there is absolutely no correctional involvement there," he said.

He said that what caused the overcrowded prisons were law enforcement officers, namely the police, prosecutors and courts who decided cases.

"When the judge decides on the case, he doesn't ask whether the prison is full or not," he said.

Therefore, he added, the success of a criminal justice in the country is influenced or also determined by the correctional aspect.

"Unfortunately, in the current Correctional Law, we are not involved in the pre-adjudication process," he explained.