Judicial Pardon in the Indonesian Criminal Justice System: The Construction of Normative Parameters to Ensure Legal Certainty
Pemaafan Hakim dalam Sistem Pemidanaan Indonesia: Konstruksi Parameter Normatif untuk Menjamin Kepastian Hukum
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21111/jicl.v9i2.90Keywords:
Judicial Pardon, Legal Certainty, Legal ProtectionAbstract
within the Indonesian criminal justice system and to formulate a normative parameter framework for the indicators governing the granting of judicial pardons, thereby ensuring legal certainty. The central issue addressed is the ambiguity of the provisions in Article 54, paragraph (2) of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code; the article lists only general indicators without providing operational normative parameters, creating a risk of judicial subjectivity, sentencing disparities, and legal uncertainty. This study employs a normative legal research method utilizing statutory, conceptual, and case-based approaches through a literature review, with qualitative analysis based on grammatical, systematic, and teleological interpretations. The findings indicate that a judicial pardon ruling constitutes a form of punishment elimination that does not negate the offender's culpability or criminal liability. The primary weakness of Article 54, paragraph (2) of the Criminal Code lies in the absence of normative parameters clarifying the application of the indicators for granting a judicial pardon. As a contribution to legal reform, this study constructs normative parameters through a systematic interpretation of Article 54, paragraph (2) in conjunction with Article 70, paragraph (1), letters j and l of the Criminal Code; these parameters encompass the admission of guilt, expressions of remorse, cooperative behavior, psychological assessment or social inquiry results, recommendations from community correctional officers, support from family and the social environment, and the availability of rehabilitation programs outside correctional institutions. This framework serves as a guide for more objective judicial interpretation when applying judicial pardons, thereby minimizing sentencing disparities, strengthening legal certainty, and supporting the objectives of national criminal law reform.
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