The Legal Consultation and Aid Center (PKBH) at FH UGM, in partnership with Sleman Correctional Facility, held its second legal outreach session of the year on Thursday, March 31, 2022. The session was attended virtually via Zoom by 20 residents of Sleman Correctional Facility, with two FH UGM lecturers as speakers: Andy Omara, S.H., M.Pub&Int.Law, Ph.D., and Dr. Sigid Riyanto, S.H., M.Si.
The session consisted of two presentation segments. The first, delivered by Dr. Sigid Riyanto, covered the Protection of Residents' Rights within Correctional Facilities. A key point he highlighted was that the purpose of incarceration is fundamentally to help residents recognize their wrongdoing — it is no longer part of the judicial process itself, since a judge's ruling has already been issued and is considered to have resolved the matter. The goal within the correctional facility is instead self-improvement, so that residents can eventually be reaccepted by their communities, take an active role in development, live decently as good and responsible citizens, and embody the values inherent in Pancasila.
The second session, on the Protection of Citizens' Constitutional Rights, was delivered by Andy Omara, S.H., M.Pub&Int.Law. He explained that in a criminal law context, law is often associated primarily with punishment — but law isn't always punitive; when it does punish, it's because of a serious underlying violation. Law can also function to liberate or protect: when a citizen wishes to exercise rights guaranteed under the Constitution, it becomes the state's obligation to protect and even help fulfill those rights. In short, law isn't only about punishment — it can also serve to free and protect citizens.
