CRIMINAL LAW REFORM IN THE NEW KUHP: PARADIGM ANALYSIS AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR THE JUSTICE SYSTEM
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62872/gfnenc36Keywords:
National Criminal Code, criminal law reform, legal paradigm, Criminal Justice System, restorative justice.Abstract
The enactment of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code (National Criminal Code) marks a fundamental change in the architecture of Indonesian criminal law after more than a century of being subject to the Wetboek van Strafrecht, a colonial legacy. This article aims to analyze the paradigm shift brought by the National Criminal Code, specifically the shift from a retributive-legalistic paradigm to a paradigm that accommodates the balance of interests of perpetrators, victims, and society through the principle of monodualistic balance, and examines the normative and structural implications of this change for the Indonesian criminal justice system. Beyond mapping these reforms, this article also critically examines the conceptual tensions embedded within this paradigm shift, particularly the unresolved dualism between the recognition of living law and the principle of legal certainty, situating the discussion within Thomas Kuhn’s framework of paradigm change. This research uses a normative juridical method with a statutory, conceptual, and comparative approach. The results of the study indicate that the National Criminal Code introduces a number of significant reform ideas, including the recognition of living law in society as a source of material criminal law, strengthening the principles of subsidiarity and ultimum remedium, the implementation of a two-track system in criminal punishment, the formulation of explicit objectives and guidelines for criminal punishment, and more comprehensive regulations for corporate criminal liability. The implications of this paradigmatic shift for the criminal justice system include the need to adjust criminal procedural law, increase the institutional capacity of law enforcement officials, reorient legal culture toward a restorative justice approach, and the challenge of harmonizing the National Criminal Code with various existing special criminal laws. This article recommends strengthening derivative regulations, intensive training for law enforcement officials, and ongoing implementation oversight to ensure the goals of criminal law reform are achieved effectively and fairly.
Downloads
References
Aisya, S. R., Guntara, D., Abas, M., & Pratama, R. I. (2026). Problems in the Implementation of Restorative Justice at the Inquiry Stage under Law Number 20 of 2025 on the Criminal Procedure Code. Jurnal Mahkamah: Kajian Ilmu Hukum dan Hukum Islam, 213-230. https://doi.org/10.59888/ajosh.v3i3.473
Anggraini, Fitriani. "Pertanggungjawaban Pidana Korporasi dalam KUHP Nasional: Suatu Kajian Komparatif." Jurnal Hukum Bisnis dan Investasi, Vol. 14, No. 1 (2023): 67-85.
Anghie, A. (2023). Rethinking international law: A TWAIL retrospective. European Journal of International Law, 34(1), 7-112. https://doi.org/10.1093/ejil/chad005
Dewi, Rahmawati. "Masa Transisi Pemberlakuan KUHP Nasional: Tantangan dan Strategi Implementasi." Jurnal Hukum dan Pembangunan, Vol. 53, No. 2 (2023): 245-260.
Fadli, Andi Muhammad. "Hukum yang Hidup dalam Masyarakat sebagai Sumber Hukum Pidana: Kontinuitas dan Perubahan." Jurnal Hukum dan Peradilan, Vol. 10, No. 3 (2021): 301-319.
Faisal, Yanto, A., Rahayu, D. P., Haryadi, D., Darmawan, A., & Manik, J. D. N. (2024). Genuine paradigm of criminal justice: rethinking penal reform within Indonesia New Criminal Code. Cogent Social Sciences, 10(1), 2301634. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2023.2301634
Ghaleb, B. D. S. (2024). Legaculturation: Turning laws into a culture. Journal of Progressive Law and Legal Studies, 2(03), 171-188. https://doi.org/10.59653/jplls.v2i03.886
Handoyo, Muhammad Rizki. "Gap antara Law in Books dan Law in Action dalam Reformasi Hukum Pidana: Perbandingan Pengalaman Beberapa Negara." Jurnal Perbandingan Hukum, Vol. 6, No. 1 (2023): 89-107.
Haryogi, M. P. (2025). Revitalization and Revitalization and Repositioning of the Witness and Victim Protection Agency of LPSK in Building a Robust Institution. Indonesia Law Reform Journal, 5(2), 209-227. https://doi.org/10.22219/ilrej.v5i2.39363
Kartika, Sri Wahyuni. "Pergeseran Paradigma dalam Pembaruan Hukum Pidana Indonesia: Sebuah Tinjauan Filosofis." Jurnal Filsafat Hukum Indonesia, Vol. 5, No. 2 (2023): 201-218.
Kepolisian Negara Republik Indonesia. Peraturan Kepolisian Nomor 8 Tahun 2021 tentang Penanganan Tindak Pidana Berdasarkan Keadilan Restoratif.
Kholdaa, M. C., & Pujiyono, P. (2024). Social Work Crime as an Alternative to Resolving Overcrowding in Correctional Institutions. Justisi, 10(3), 806-816. https://doi.org/10.33506/js.v10i3.3491
Kurniawati, Erna. "Dualisme Asas Legalitas dalam KUHP Nasional: Antara Kepastian Hukum dan Keadilan Substantif." Jurnal Konstitusi, Vol. 20, No. 3 (2023): 412-430.
Kuhn, Thomas S. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1962.
Kusuma, Deni Setiawan. "Keseimbangan Monodualistik sebagai Paradigma Baru Hukum Pidana Indonesia." Jurnal Hukum Pidana Progresif, Vol. 11, No. 1 (2024): 15-34.
Levin, B. (2023). After the criminal justice system. Washington Law Review, 98(3), 899.
Nasir, N., & Thalib, H. (2026). Restorative Justice at the Investigation Stage: A Normative Review of Its Conceptualization in the New Criminal Procedure Code. Journal of Judicial Review, 28(1), 241-278. https://doi.org/10.37253/jjr.v28i1.12085
Nugroho, Wahyu Trisno. "Keadilan Restoratif dalam Sistem Peradilan Pidana Indonesia: Dari Kebijakan Institusional Menuju Pengaturan Undang-Undang." Jurnal Kebijakan Hukum Pidana, Vol. 12, No. 2 (2022): 155-172.
Oktavianto, A. F., Warka, M., Prasetyawati, E., & Hufron, H. (2025). Disparity in Sentencing Against Advocates in Indonesia: Minimizing It Through Sentencing Guidelines. Journal of International Trade, Logistics and Law, 11(1), 385-394.
Olujobi, O. J., & Yebisi, E. T. (2023). Combating the crimes of money laundering and terrorism financing in Nigeria: a legal approach for combating the menace. Journal of Money Laundering Control, 26(2), 268-289. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMLC-12-2021-0143
Pambudi, P., & Redi, A. (2024). Criminal Law Politics and Reform to Strengthen Law Enforcement Roles in Indonesia in Combatting Narcotics Crimes. Asian Journal of Social and Humanities, 3(3), 660-672. https://doi.org/10.59888/ajosh.v3i3.473
Prabowo, Yusuf Ananta. "Sistem Dua Jalur (Double Track System) dalam KUHP Nasional: Kajian terhadap Pidana dan Tindakan." Jurnal Hukum Pidana dan Kriminologi Indonesia, Vol. 9, No. 2 (2022): 178-196.
Putri, Rina Anggraeni. "Teknik Analisis Bahan Hukum dalam Penelitian Hukum Normatif." Jurnal Ilmu Hukum dan Metodologi, Vol. 7, No. 1 (2022): 44-59.
Republik Indonesia. Undang-Undang Nomor 1 Tahun 2023 tentang Kitab Undang-Undang Hukum Pidana. Lembaran Negara Republik Indonesia Tahun 2023 Nomor 1.
Republik Indonesia. Undang-Undang Nomor 1 Tahun 2026 tentang Perubahan atas Undang-Undang Nomor 1 Tahun 2023 tentang Kitab Undang-Undang Hukum Pidana.
Republik Indonesia. Undang-Undang Nomor 20 Tahun 2025 tentang Hukum Acara Pidana. Lembaran Negara Republik Indonesia Tahun 2025 Nomor 112.
Republik Indonesia. Undang-Undang Nomor 48 Tahun 2009 tentang Kekuasaan Kehakiman. Lembaran Negara Republik Indonesia Tahun 2009 Nomor 157.
Sugiharto, Bambang Waluyo. "Living Law sebagai Sumber Hukum Pidana Materiil dalam Perspektif Pluralisme Hukum Indonesia." Jurnal Hukum Adat dan Pembaruan Hukum, Vol. 8, No. 1 (2022): 33-51.
Wibianto, M. Y., Hartiwiningsih, H., & Handayani, I. G. A. K. R. (2025). Real Justice, Real Impact with the Prosecutors in Action. Journal of Human Rights, Culture and Legal System, 5(3), 1015-1041. https://doi.org/10.53955/jhcls.v5i3.804
Wibowo, Setiyono Hadi. "Keterpaduan Sistem Peradilan Pidana Terpadu Pasca Reformasi KUHP dan KUHAP." Jurnal Ilmu Hukum, Vol. 15, No. 1 (2024): 55-74.
Wirawan, Aditya. "Metode Penelitian Hukum Normatif dalam Kajian Pembaruan Hukum Pidana." Jurnal Metodologi Penelitian Hukum, Vol. 4, No. 2 (2021): 121-138.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Henny Saida Flora (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
