Lampung Corrections Office Prepares Implementation of Community Service Sentencing
The Lampung Regional Office of the Directorate General of Corrections (Ditjenpas) is preparing the implementation of community service sentencing through coordination with local governments and related agencies as part of the new punishment paradigm in the National Criminal Code (KUHP).
Head of the Lampung Ditjenpas Regional Office, M. Hilal, stated in Bandarlampung on Thursday that community service is an alternative punishment for perpetrators of minor crimes, meaning not all convicts must serve their sentences in correctional facilities. “This is a form of moral sanction. For those sentenced for minor offences and who possess specific skills, they can be assigned to work in offices without having to go to prison,” he said.
According to Hilal, for convicts without special skills, the implementation of community service can be carried out through tasks related to public facility services, such as helping to manage places of worship or maintaining the cleanliness of public spaces. He noted that the implementation of this scheme in Lampung is already underway. In Metro City, law enforcement officials have produced a court ruling that sentences a convict to community service. The convicts serve their community service at Griya Abipraya, a halfway house under the Metro Correctional Centre (Bapas) which also functions as a coaching and skills training facility.
To anticipate an increase in community service rulings, the Lampung Ditjenpas continues to coordinate with local governments, including the Agriculture Service, Forestry Service, and Environmental Service, to determine suitable locations and types of work for the convicts. Hilal stated that besides helping to reduce overcrowding in correctional facilities, community service is expected to provide an educational effect and moral guidance in line with human resource development goals.
ANTARA’s research data notes that community service is one of the principal punishments introduced in Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code (KUHP), which will come into effect on 2 January 2026. The provision positions community service as an alternative to short-term imprisonment for offenders who meet certain requirements, with the aim of prioritising guidance, social restoration, and reducing the use of imprisonment. Provisions regarding community service are regulated in Article 85 of the National Criminal Code, while community service is established as one of the principal punishments in Article 65 paragraph (1) letter e of Law Number 1 of 2023.