The Legality Principle Dilemma and Substantive Justice: An Analysis of the Recognition of Living Law in Indonesia’s New Criminal Code (Law No. 1 of 2023)

The enactment of Law No. 1 of 2023 (the New Criminal Code) represents a paradigm shift in Indonesia’s penal policy, transitioning from a colonial-legacy system to one rooted in national legal values. This study scrutinizes the integration of "living law" (hukum yang hidup) as a source of criminal liability under Article 2(1), which challenges the traditional boundaries of the nullum crimen sine lege principle. Using a normative juridical method with conceptual and comparative approaches, this research analyzes the inherent tension between legal pluralism and the doctrine of lex certa. The findings demonstrate that while the recognition of living law fosters substantive justice and cultural relevance, it risks undermining legal predictability and the protection of individual rights against arbitrary enforcement. This paper argues that the transformative ambition of the Code can only be safeguarded through a robust regulatory framework, specifically a Government Regulation that establishes strict parameters for the identification and evidentiary validation of customary norms. By reconciling restorative justice with formal legality, Indonesia provides a unique model for decolonizing criminal law in pluralistic societies.

Living Law, Legal Pluralism, Criminal Code Reform

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