Member of Commission III of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), Elpisina, urged the government and legal apparatus in the regions to immediately accelerate the development of supporting infrastructure for the implementation of social criminal sanctions.
As a follow-up measure to the implementation of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code (KUHP), it is currently the main focus of the government and the DPR.
"We must first prepare the implementation at the grassroots level, the institution, the agency, whatever it will be called. Essentially, where will they enforce these social sanctions and who will oversee them to ensure they don't get away with it," he said in Jambi on Monday.
According to the PKB politician, in the new Criminal Code, one of the fundamental changes that is of concern is the shift in the paradigm of punishment, from previously being dominated by imprisonment, in the future social sanctions will be introduced in minor cases by upholding restorative justice.
The new Criminal Code introduces adjustments to the form of sanctions for lawbreakers. While previously sanctions were synonymous with imprisonment, the public will now be introduced to community service mechanisms.
So far, all relevant ministries and institutions are holding intensive coordination meetings to develop supporting infrastructure for the implementation of social criminal sanctions, including in Jambi Province.
This is done so that when the new Criminal Code is fully implemented, the implementing apparatus in the field already understands and is ready, both in terms of location and supervisory personnel.
The chairman of the Jambi Malay Customary Institution (LAM), Hasan Basri Agus, assessed that although his party welcomed the recognition of customary law in the Criminal Code, the former Governor of Jambi reminded the importance of caution in future implementation.
He emphasized that customary law should not be positioned as a competitor to national law, but rather as a strategic partner in realizing justice rooted in local values.
