Living Law-Based Legal Through Harmonizing Customary Justice and the Indonesian Criminal Code: Evidence Education From Kasepekang Sanctions In Bali
Abstract
The recognition of living law under Article 2 of the Indonesian Criminal Code marks a significant shift toward legal pluralism in Indonesia's criminal justice system. This study aims to analyze the implications of recognizing living law for the development of legal education in Indonesia. Using a normative legal research approach with a literature-based design, the study examines primary, secondary, and tertiary legal materials collected through systematic database searches and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that, first, Article 2 establishes a conditional framework that accommodates customary law within the national criminal law system while maintaining consistency with the principle of legality. Second, analysis of the Kasepekang customary sanction in Bali demonstrates that tensions between state law and customary law do not arise from an inherent incompatibility between the two systems, but rather from the absence of implementation mechanisms that ensure proportionality, due process, and human rights protection in accordance with Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution. Third, effective implementation of the new Criminal Code requires law enforcement officials to adopt intercultural competence, contextual legal reasoning, and restorative justice approaches to strengthen legal legitimacy and protect indigenous communities. Based on these findings, this study proposes the Practice-Oriented Living Law-Based Legal Education Model (PHBLL), which integrates legal pluralism, interdisciplinary learning, cultural competence, restorative justice, indigenous legal studies, and experiential learning into legal education. The study concludes that the successful implementation of Article 2 depends not only on regulatory reform but also on transforming legal education to prepare future legal professionals capable of reconciling state law and living law within Indonesia's plural legal system.
References
Budiartha, I. N. P. (2020). The legal pluralism in law education in Indonesia. Journal of Advanced Research in Law and Economics, 11(3), 771–774. https://doi.org/10.14505/jarle.v11.3(49).13
Budiartha, I. N. P. (2020). The legal pluralism in law education in Indonesia. Journal of Advanced Research in Law and Economics, 11(3), 771–774. https://doi.org/10.14505/jarle.v11.3(49).13
Cotterrell, R. (2017). Sociology of law: An introduction (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Darumurti, K. D. (2017). Karakter ilmu hukum: Pendekatan fungsional dalam kaitan dengan pendidikan hukum. Refleksi Hukum: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum, 1(2), 191–212. https://doi.org/10.24246/jrh.2017.v1.i2.p191-212
Ehrlich, E., & Ziegert, K. A. (2017). Fundamental principles of the sociology of law. Routledge.
Griffiths, J. (1986). What is legal pluralism? Journal of Legal Pluralism and Unofficial Law, 18(24), 1–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/07329113.1986.10756387
Halim, Y., Sudewo, F., & Justian, J. (2019). Transformative-participatory legal research method for harmonizing the existence of the living law in Indonesia. Jurnal Media Hukum, 26(2), 146–157. https://doi.org/10.18196/jmh.20190130
Hariri, A., & Babussalam, B. (2024). Legal pluralism: Concept, theoretical dialectics, and its existence in Indonesia. Walisongo Law Review, 6(2), 146–170. https://doi.org/10.21580/walrev.2024.6.2.25566
Hariri, A., & Babussalam, B. (2024). Legal pluralism: Concept, theoretical dialectics, and its existence in Indonesia. Walisongo Law Review, 6(2), 146–170. https://doi.org/10.21580/walrev.2024.6.2.25566
Kusworo, D. L., & Fauzi, M. N. K. (2024). Living law dalam KUHP: Suatu gagasan menginventarisasi kompilasi hukum adat. Jurist-Diction, 7(3). https://doi.org/10.20473/jd.v7i3.56266
Kusworo, D. L., & Fauzi, M. N. K. (2024). Living law dalam KUHP: Suatu gagasan menginventarisasi kompilasi hukum adat. Jurist-Diction, 7(3). https://doi.org/10.20473/jd.v7i3.56266
Merry, S. E. (1988). Legal pluralism. Law & Society Review, 22(5), 869–896.
Merry, S. E. (1988). Legal pluralism. Law & Society Review, 22(5), 869–896.
Mohamad, R. B., & Rideng, I. W. (2021). The legal pluralism in law education in Indonesia. Sociological Jurisprudence Journal, 4(1), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.22225/scj.4.1.2635.1-5
Putra, A., Raspati, L., Rachman, T., & Kurniawan, I. (2026). Living law on the margins: A critical review of Article 2 of the 2023 Indonesian Penal Code. Jurnal Hukum dan Peradilan, 15(1), 81–110. https://doi.org/10.25216/jhp.15.1.2026.81-110
Putra, A., Raspati, L., Rachman, T., & Kurniawan, I. (2026). Living law on the margins: A critical review of Article 2 of the 2023 Indonesian Penal Code. Jurnal Hukum dan Peradilan, 15(1), 81–110. https://doi.org/10.25216/jhp.15.1.2026.81-110
Sudiyana. (2019). The ideal model of law education to achieve progressive law enforcement. The Indonesian Journal of International Clinical Legal Education, 1(3). https://doi.org/10.15294/iccle.v1i01.20680
Sulistyawati, N. P. E. (2020). Kasepekang sebagai sanksi adat dalam masyarakat hukum adat Bali: Perspektif hak asasi manusia. Denpasar: Udayana University Press.
Tamanaha, B. Z. (2008). Understanding legal pluralism: Past to present, local to global. Sydney Law Review, 30(3), 375–411.
Windia, W. (2008). Bali Mawacara: Kesatuan adat dan budaya Bali. Denpasar: Udayana University Press.
Yamin, B., & Rachman, M. T. (2025). Problematik yuridis Pasal 2 KUHP baru dalam perspektif prinsip-prinsip dasar asas legalitas. Unizar Law Review, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.36679/ulr.v8i2.106
Copyright (c) 2025 Briliyan Erna Wati
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with JPI: Jurnal Pustaka Indonesia journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the JPI: Jurnal Pustaka Indonesia journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors can enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or edit it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) before and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
1.png)
_(3).png){kind=small}
