Ipso Jure
Vol. 3 No. 9 (2026): Ipso Jure - October

Sentencing of Children as an Ultimum Remedium From the Perspective of the Juvenile Criminal Justice System

Mohammad Ikhsan Jaelani (Faculty of Law, Universitas Dr. Soetomo Surabaya)
Nur Handayati (Faculty of Law, Universitas Dr. Soetomo Surabaya)
M. Syahrul Borman (Faculty of Law, Universitas Dr. Soetomo Surabaya)



Article Info

Publish Date
29 Oct 2026

Abstract

This study examines the sentencing of children as an ultimum remedium within the juvenile criminal justice system and the legal protection afforded to children as offenders and as victims. The research focuses on the concept of ultimum remedium in the sentencing of children under Law Number 11 of 2012 concerning the Juvenile Criminal Justice System and on the forms of legal protection provided to children in their capacity as offenders and as victims of criminal acts. The study employs normative juridical research with statutory and case approaches. Primary and secondary legal materials are analyzed through grammatical, systematic, and teleological interpretation by linking the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, the Child Protection Law, the Juvenile Criminal Justice System Law, the Criminal Code, implementing regulations, legal doctrine, and relevant court decisions. The findings show that the principle of ultimum remedium does not merely place imprisonment as the option of last resort; it also limits the entire exercise of the state’s punitive authority over children, from investigation and prosecution through trial and sentencing to the execution of judgments. Diversion, restorative justice, measures, and non-custodial penalties must be prioritized before imprisonment is considered. Legal protection for child offenders is realized through the accurate determination of age and capacity for criminal responsibility, legal assistance, accompaniment, child-friendly examinations, identity protection, consideration of social inquiry reports, individualized sanctions, rehabilitation, and social reintegration. Protection for child victims includes prompt handling, guarantees of security, identity protection, prevention of secondary victimization, legal and psychological assistance, restitution, rehabilitation, social recovery, and continuity of education

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

IJJ

Publisher

Subject

Law, Crime, Criminology & Criminal Justice

Description

Ipso Jure is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal dedicated to advancing scholarly research and discourse in the field of law, with a particular emphasis on the principles of the rule of law. The journal aims to provide a platform for academics, legal practitioners, policymakers, and ...