This article re-examines Indonesia’s penal system by highlighting the gap between its formal objectives and the actual conditions within correctional facilities. Research indicates that the penal approach remains heavily centered on imprisonment, resulting in chronic overcrowding, limited rehabilitation efforts, and diminished corrective outcomes. The fulfillment of inmates’ rights, including those of vulnerable groups such as women, is constrained by structural limitations and insufficient facilities. The effectiveness of correctional integration policies also remains uneven due to administrative barriers and assessment challenges. This article reviews the potential of restorative justice as a more proportional alternative capable of reducing pressure on correctional institutions. Through legal normative analysis, it proposes reform strategies grounded in humanistic principles, restorative orientation, and long-term effectiveness.
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