Forensic Psychiatric Examination in the YA Case under Indonesian Health Law Number 17 of 2023

Yuli Utomo; Ni Luh Made Mahendrawati; Made Teguh Dwi Prastyawan; Made Putra Bhaskara Tangkas; Hamayun Polash; Dyah setyorini

doi:10.31941/pj.v25i2.8248

Authors

Yuli Utomo Universitas Warmadewa Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia
Ni Luh Made Mahendrawati Universitas Warmadewa, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia
Made Teguh Dwi Prastyawan Universitas Warmadewa, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia
Made Putra Bhaskara Tangkas Universitas Pendidikan Nasional, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia
Hamayun Polash Rotari International
Dyah setyorini Cincinnati State University Ohio, USA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31941/pj.v25i2.8248

Keywords:

Received: Revised: Accepted: Keywords: Forensic Psychiatry, Criminal Responsibility, Procedural Competence, Restorative Justice, Health Law Number 17 of 2023.

Abstract

Received:
Revised:
Accepted:

Keywords:
Forensic Psychiatry, Criminal Responsibility, Procedural Competence, Restorative Justice, Health Law Number 17 of 2023.

Background: Article 81 of Indonesian Health Law Number 17 of 2023 requires a mental health examination of a person suspected of having a mental disorder who is alleged to have committed an offence, addressing criminal responsibility and competence to undergo proceedings. Case materials: Police referred YA for psychiatric observation in April 2023; after twenty days, doctors reportedly recommended continued treatment at Dr Soeharto Heerdjan Mental Hospital. A parental letter dated 6 July 2023 sought outpatient care, referred to an orally conveyed diagnosis, and promised cooperation with investigators. A settlement agreement dated 25 July 2024 and a request dated 5 March 2025 preceded police notification that the investigation was terminated effective 5 June 2025 on restorative-justice grounds. Method: This normative juridical study applies statutory, conceptual, and case approaches to health, criminal-procedure, disability, and restorative-justice law. Results: A clinical diagnosis, treatment request, family guarantee, or settlement does not itself determine criminal responsibility or procedural competence. Those issues require a structured forensic examination linking symptoms to the alleged conduct and assessing the present ability to participate. The later restorative termination resolved the investigation on a separate procedural ground; it did not retrospectively supply a psychiatric finding. Conclusion: The case demonstrates the need to separate clinical care, forensic assessment, coercive measures, and restorative disposition. Because the psychiatric examination preceded 8 August 2023, the 2023 Health Law operates as a contemporary framework, while the then-effective Mental Health Law and Minister of Health Regulation Number 77 of 2015 govern the earlier procedure.

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