DOI: https://doi.org/10.14710/jphi.v8i2.426-446

Beyond Procedural Exit: Integrating Therapeutic Jurisprudence into Indonesia’s Juvenile Diversion Framework

*Anak Agung Ayu Ngurah Tini Rusmini Gorda orcid scopus publons  -  Faculty of Law, Universitas Pendidikan Nasional, Indonesia
Zico Junius Fernando orcid scopus publons  -  Faculty of Law, Universitas Bengkulu, Indonesia
Luh Putu Yeyen Karista Putri orcid scopus  -  Faculty of Law, Monash University, Australia
Made Sinthia Sukmayanti orcid scopus  -  Faculty of Law, Universitas Pendidikan Nasional, Indonesia

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Abstract

This research is grounded in the fact that Indonesia’s Juvenile Criminal Justice System Act (Law No. 11/2012) formalizes diversion, yet it defines success only as a procedural departure from formal adjudication. The aim of this study is to incorporate therapeutic jurisprudence into the framework so that diversion shifts from a simple binary case-disposal tool to a legally delimited recovery process. The method employed is doctrinal legal research, using statutory, conceptual, and comparative approaches. The findings indicate that a procedural exit frequently occurs alongside coercion and untreated trauma. Comparative analysis of models from New Zealand, Canada, England, and Australia shows that qualitative justice depends on designing flexible legal safeguards, specifically through a six-safeguard Therapeutic-Restorative Diversion Model, to reconcile discretionary enforcement with children’s rights. The conclusions are that Indonesian reform should not assess diversion solely through administrative completion rates, but instead through therapeutic quality, compliance with rights, and sustainable reintegration backed by inter-agency standards.

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Keywords: Therapeutic Jurisprudence; Restorative Justice; Diversion; Child-Centred Justice

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