PERAN PEMBIMBING KEMASYARAKATAN DALAM MENGOPTIMALKAN REINTEGRASI SOSIAL KLIEN PEMASYARAKATAN DI TENGAH KETERBATASAN SARANA DAN DUKUNGAN PROGRAM: PERSPEKTIF STREET-LEVEL BUREAUCRACY DI BAPAS KELAS II PEKALONGAN

Abstract

The social reintegration of correctional clients depends heavily on the role of probation and parole officers (Pembimbing Kemasyarakatan, PK). The Class II Pekalongan Correctional Center (Bapas) faces a workload imbalance: 26 PKs supervise 1,694 clients across seven regencies/cities with limited facilities and operational budgets. This study examines how PKs perform their role in optimizing social reintegration, identifies the obstacles they face, and describes the adaptation strategies they use. Drawing on Lipsky's (1980) Street-Level Bureaucracy theory and a qualitative approach, data were collected through semi-structured interviews, passive participant observation, and document review, then analyzed with the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña and checked through source and technique triangulation. The findings show that PKs optimize reintegration through face-to-face and remote guidance, motivation, discretion in adjusting guidance to each client's condition, and support for clients' economic independence. The main obstacles are the high client-to-officer ratio (about 65 clients per PK), the wide working area, limited official vehicles and operational funds, heterogeneous client conditions, and uneven family and community acceptance. PKs respond by setting priority scales, adjusting visit schedules, using telephone and video calls, and collaborating with families and partners. These strategies keep guidance running, but they manage rather than resolve the underlying resource constraints.