Regional Government Authority in Fulfilling the Right to Legal Aid for the Poor and Vulnerable Groups

Abstract

The implementation of legal aid by the local government is urgent because the central government's budget allocation is still limited. This can be seen from the imbalance in the legal aid budget and the number of legal aid organizations compared to the number of poor people. The budget and the scope of legal aid are limited, only covering the poor. Regional governments, as stakeholders, are expected to complement the central government's shortcomings by allocating legal aid budgets and expanding the scope of legal aid recipients. This study aimed to examine the authority of local governments in fulfilling the right to legal aid for poor and vulnerable groups. This study was normative research by examining legal regulations relating to the authority of local governments in fulfilling the right to legal aid for the poor and vulnerable groups. The data obtained were analyzed using qualitative methods. The results of this study showed that local governments had the authority to fulfill the right to legal aid for the poor and vulnerable groups. This authority was attributive. Several laws obliged local governments to fulfill the right to legal aid.