Pepitu Deso as a Legal Information and Consultation Service from the Perspective of Legal Empowerment in Keji Village, Semarang Regency
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15294/jphi.v9i2.62111Keywords:
Legal Empowerment, Village Legal Access, Legal Consciousness, Legal Consultation Services, Pepitu DesoAbstract
Formal legal aid in Indonesia has not yet reached most villages, creating a gap between the constitutional guarantee of equality before the law and the actual access to justice available to rural communities. This study examines Pepitu Deso, a legal information and consultation post launched on 28 June 2026 in Keji Village, Semarang Regency, by the Penal Study Club of the Faculty of Law, Universitas Negeri Semarang. The study aims to describe the design of the service, examine how its mechanism facilitates access to legal assistance, identify challenges during its initial implementation, and explore the conditions necessary for adapting the model to other villages. A descriptive qualitative single-case study design was employed. Semi-structured interviews with a supervising lecturer, student implementers, village officials, and residents, supplemented by program documents, were analyzed based on the components of a legal service model and interpreted through Stephen Golub’s distinction between service-delivery and empowerment approaches. The findings indicate that Pepitu Deso operates through a community legal liaison, Jagakeji, which provides legal education, initial consultations, and preliminary assistance before referring residents to formal legal aid services. Its preventive and educational design differs from the curative orientation of state-established village legal aid posts (Pos Bantuan Hukum or Posbankum) and reflects a stronger emphasis on legal empowerment. The main challenges identified during the initial implementation include the limited program duration, reliance on student-program funding, and the absence of standardized operating procedures. As the study covers only the launch and early implementation period, its effects on residents’ long-term legal capabilities remain untested. This study provides an initial account of a campus-initiated village legal service and identifies adaptable design principles rather than proposing a uniform institutional model for other villages. The initiative also contributes to the broader objectives of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 on Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Ahmad Kamalludin Sihombing , Shealsy Ainunna Mei Pratiwi, Intan Triokta Panjaitan, Veny Gambini Tampubolon, Nabila Virli Arion (Author)
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