Living Law in Indonesia’s New Criminal Code: Constructing a Harmonization Framework for National and Customary Criminal Law

Mhd Hasbi; Saritua Silitonga; Ariman Sitompul

doi:10.47268/sasi.v32i3.3718

Authors

Mhd Hasbi ✉ Universitas Haji Sumatera Utara , Indonesia
Saritua Silitonga Universitas Haji Sumatera Utara , Indonesia
Ariman Sitompul Universitas Dharmawangsa , Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47268/sasi.v32i3.3718

Keywords:

Living Law, ustomary Criminal Law, Legal Harmonizatio, Principle of Legality, Criminal Law Reform

Abstract

Introduction: The recognition of living law under Indonesia’s Law Number 1 of 2023 on the Criminal Code creates a normative intersection between state criminal law and customary criminal law. However, the legal framework does not yet provide sufficient juridical mechanisms for determining, verifying, and applying customary criminal norms within the formal criminal justice system.

Purposes of the Research: This study aims to construct a juridical framework for harmonizing national and customary criminal law by examining the legal position of living law, identifying criteria for the recognition of customary criminal norms, and formulating mechanisms for their application within the national criminal justice system.

Methods of the Research: This study employs normative legal research using statutory, conceptual, and analytical approaches. Primary legal materials, particularly Law Number 1 of 2023, the 1945 Constitution, and Law Number 48 of 2009, are analyzed through systematic, teleological, and historical interpretation.

Results of the Research: The study develops a juridical construction consisting of four recognition parameters and three operational mechanisms. A customary norm must demonstrably exist and continue to be practiced, be recognized by the relevant community, be judicially verifiable, and comply with constitutional, human-rights, and fundamental criminal-law principles. The operational framework comprises: (1) compilation of customary offenses through participatory regional regulation; (2) coordination between formal and customary institutions; and (3) a hybrid model integrating formal adjudication with customary restorative mechanisms where legally permissible. The study concludes that harmonization should be based on structured coexistence rather than assimilation, thereby accommodating living law while preserving legality, legal certainty, and human-rights protection.

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