THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE JUVENILE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM IN ADDRESSING THE INCREASE IN JUVENILE CRIMES (A STUDY IN BANDAR LAMPUNG CITY)

Abstract

This research aims to analyze the effectiveness of the Juvenile Criminal Justice System in tackling the rising criminal offenses committed by minors and to identify the inhibiting factors of its implementation in Bandar Lampung City. This research uses normative juridical and empirical juridical methods, with primary data obtained through interviews with the Juvenile Judge of the Tanjung Karang District Court, the Juvenile Prosecutor of the Bandar Lampung District Attorney, members of the Women and Children Protection Unit of the Bandar Lampung Resort Police, the Damar Lampung NGO, and a Criminal Law lecturer at Lampung University. Secondary data are sourced from laws and regulations, legal literature, and relevant official documents. The data were analyzed qualitatively through literature study and field study. The research results indicate that the effectiveness of the SPPA in Bandar Lampung City is still not optimal, where out of 747 cases of children facing the law in 2020, only about 7–10% were resolved through diversion. The inhibiting factors include legal substance that is not yet adaptive, limitations in facilities and infrastructure, lack of implementation of restorative justice principles by law enforcement officials, and minimal role of family and community in child guidance. The limitation of this research lies in its restricted regional scope. This research contributes to the development of juvenile criminal law through strengthening the implementation of restorative justice. The novelty of this research lies in the analysis of the Juvenile Criminal Justice System effectiveness based on Hiroshi Ishikawa's and Soerjano Soekanto's legal effectiveness indicators after the implementation of Law Number 11 of 2012.