The Criminology Student Association of FISIP UI held ‘Bapas Goes to Campus’ in collaboration with the Class I Correctional Board of South Jakarta on Tuesday, September 6, at the Mochtar Riady Auditorium. With the theme “Getting Up Close with Bapas”, this activity aimed to provide students, especially criminology students, with deeper information and understanding about the functions, roles, and activities of Bapas (Correctional Board) from speakers who work directly at Bapas.
The Correctional Board (Bapas) is an institution or place that carries out the function of Community Guidance for clients, which includes assistance, guidance, and supervision. So, who are referred to as Correctional Clients or Clients?
“Under Bapas’s guidance, there are clients such as parolees, prisoners, or Children in Conflict with the Law who have received Conditional Release/Conditional Leave/Pre-release Leave, and Children who are returned to the guidance of parents or guardians according to court decisions,” explained Putu Aryuni.
Bapas is where community guidance is carried out; Bapas’s task is to prepare the community to re-accept clients who are ready to return to society. The duties and functions of Bapas are Social Inquiry (Litmas), supervision, guidance, and Correctional Observation Team Session (TPP).
Putu further explained that assistance for Children in Conflict with the Law (ABH) is an effort carried out by Community Guidance Officers (PK) of Bapas to help these child clients overcome problems.
Nanang, as a Community Guidance Officer, emphasized that this assistance for ABH is mandatory by Bapas PKs from the initial pre-adjudication stage to the post-adjudication stage, and not only that, but Bapas PKs also accompany ABH until further guidance.
“The ABH justice system refers to children who are over twelve years old but under eighteen years old who are suspected of committing a criminal offense. Before the age of twelve, the decision is to return them to their parents or include them in education, development, and guidance programs in government agencies or Social Welfare Institutions (LPKS),” said Nanang.
According to Mamik, children in conflict with the law are a vulnerable group and are therefore entitled to special protection, and efforts are made to ensure that children’s rights are respected in all interactions with the justice system.
The steps taken must be based on the child’s best interests and must ensure that children do not experience any form of violence, such as psychological or sexual violence, as a result of their interaction with the child justice system.
“The findings of research by PUSKAPA UI in 2020 on the situation of children in the Juvenile Criminal Justice System show that the number of children imprisoned has decreased, but the detention of children consistently occurs. Children who fail diversion at the police, prosecutor’s office, and court levels then end up in detention, which can deprive children of their right to freedom,” explained Mamik.
In addition, the next finding was explained by Mamik: “diversion is increasingly implemented, but its impact and accountability have not been transparently assessed. Diversion often becomes a ‘transaction’ for child offenders. Legal and non-legal assistance is not proportionally available, and rehabilitation and reintegration efforts lack adequate resources.”
Deprivation of liberty or imprisonment must be a last resort or measure. Mamik emphasized that international standards state that for children who have been found guilty of committing a criminal offense, imprisonment should only be a last resort. “Alternatives to imprisonment may include guidance and supervision orders, parenting programs, probation, and counseling,” she said.
As speakers, Dra. Mamik Sri Supatmi, M.Si (Criminology Lecturer, UI), Putu Aryuni Damayanti (Acting Head of Class I Bapas, South Jakarta), Wawan Irawan (Head of Child Client Guidance Section, Class I Bapas, South Jakarta), Nanang Mahmud (Junior Expert Community Guidance Officer), Ferry Melissa (First Expert Community Guidance Officer), Putri Rizky Priamsari (First Expert Community Guidance Officer).
