Indonesia has switched the legal clock forward. On Friday, the country officially enforced the Indonesia new penal code, sweeping away colonial-era statutes that had shaped its justice system for more than 100 years, according to local media.
The change lands like a tectonic shift beneath the nation’s courts, signaling not just new rules, but a reimagined philosophy of justice.
A Historic Break From the Past
Coordinating Minister for Legal, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra called the move a historic milestone, framing it as the dawn of a new chapter in Indonesian law.
The reform introduces a new national criminal code (KUHP) alongside an updated criminal procedures code (KUHAP), replacing outdated legislation enacted in 1918 and 1981.
From Punishment to Restoration
At the heart of the Indonesia new penal code is a fundamental shift: the justice system moves away from retribution and toward restorative justice. Rehabilitation and social reintegration now take precedence over sheer punishment.
Under the KUHP, courts can impose alternatives to prison, including community service, mediation, and medical rehabilitation for drug-related offenses. The goal is to ease chronic prison overcrowding while aligning the system with a more human rights–oriented approach—long championed by civil society groups pushing for drug law reform.
