Provision of Legal Aid as Part of Public Services

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the implementation of legal aid provision as a fundamental component of public services in Indonesia. Legal aid is a constitutional right and a manifestation of access to justice, particularly for the poor or disadvantaged groups who face barriers in the legal system. This study employs a normative legal research method with an analytical approach. Data sources consist of primary and secondary materials, collected through document and literature studies, and analyzed qualitatively with a descriptive presentation. The results indicate that legal aid is a legal service provided by advocates or legal aid institutions free of charge to recipients who meet certain criteria of financial inability. As a public service, the provision of legal aid is an effort by the state, through the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, to fulfill the basic rights and civil rights of citizens to obtain equality before the law. The study concludes that legal aid services must be people-oriented and integrated into the public service system to maintain public trust in the justice system, especially in remote areas. To enhance quality, the government must implement service improvements, open channels for public criticism, and ensure the effective allocation of budgets sourced from the State or Regional Revenue and Expenditure Budgets (APBN/APBD).