Judicial Considerations in Commuting the Death Penalty to Imprisonment for Narcotics Offenders: An Analysis of Supreme Court Decision No. 739 K/Pid.Sus/2023
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58258/bnrnq128Abstract
Indonesia classifies narcotics trafficking as an extraordinary crime due to its significant impact on public health, social stability, national security, and economic development. Although Law Number 35 of 2009 on Narcotics authorizes the imposition of the death penalty for large-scale narcotics offenses, recent judicial practice demonstrates a shift toward imprisonment in certain cases. This study aims to analyze the legal considerations underlying the commutation of the death penalty to imprisonment in Supreme Court Decision No. 739 K/Pid.Sus/2023 and to evaluate its implications for legal certainty within Indonesia's criminal justice system. The research employs a normative juridical method using statutory, case, and conceptual approaches. Primary legal materials consist of statutory regulations and judicial decisions, while secondary legal materials include legal doctrines, scholarly literature, and previous studies concerning criminal law, sentencing, and human rights. Data were analyzed qualitatively through descriptive-analytical techniques by examining judicial reasoning and relevant legal principles. The findings indicate that the Supreme Court's decision reflects a proportional and substantive justice approach by considering the defendant's role, evidentiary circumstances, sentencing objectives, and constitutional values alongside the principle of legality. The decision also illustrates an emerging paradigm in Indonesian criminal law that balances punitive objectives with the protection of fundamental rights. Nevertheless, differences in sentencing outcomes among similar narcotics cases continue to create legal uncertainty and judicial disparity. Therefore, clearer sentencing guidelines are necessary to ensure consistency, proportionality, and predictability in the adjudication of serious narcotics offenses while maintaining the objectives of criminal law and the rule of lawReferences
Ashworth, A. (2021). Sentencing and criminal justice (7th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Frase, R. S. (2013). Just sentencing: Principles and procedures for a workable system. Oxford University Press.
Hasibuan, K., Bagenda, C., Rahmad, R. A., & Mozin, N. (2024). Penerapan hukuman mati dalam tindak pidana narkotika: Analisis yuridis dan etis. Jurnal Kolaboratif Sains, 7(10), 3771–3781.
Hutchinson, T. (2018). Researching and writing in law (4th ed.). Thomson Reuters.
Ibrahim, J. (2019). Teori dan metodologi penelitian hukum normatif. Bayumedia Publishing.
Marzuki, P. M. (2021). Penelitian hukum (Edisi revisi). Kencana.
Muladi. (2008). Lembaga pidana bersyarat. Alumni.
Nurfarida. (2024). Eksistensi pidana mati sebagai alternatif pemidanaan terhadap tindak pidana narkotika berdasarkan Undang-Undang Nomor 1 Tahun 2023 tentang Kitab Undang-Undang Hukum Pidana (Undergraduate thesis, UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta).
Nuzula, R. F. (2024). Tinjauan konstitusional terhadap pidana mati pada tindak pidana narkotika di Indonesia menurut perspektif fiqh siyasah (Undergraduate thesis, UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta).
Radbruch, G. (2006). Legal philosophy. Oxford University Press.
Ramdhayani, G. (2023). Hukuman mati dalam tindak pidana narkotika ditinjau dari perspektif hak asasi manusia (Undergraduate thesis, Universitas Muslim Indonesia).
Rasad, F. (2021). Pidana perubahan pidana mati menjadi pidana penjara melalui pemidanaan secara alternatif. Jurnal HAM, 12(1), 141–164.
Rinaldi, K., & Tutrianto, R. (2023). Polemik pengendalian sosial, kejahatan, dan hukuman mati: Studi diskursus pemberlakuan hukuman mati terhadap pengedar narkotika di Indonesia. Jurnal Pembangunan Hukum Indonesia, 5(3), 523–536.
Roberts, J. V. (2019). Sentencing guidelines: Exploring the English model. Oxford University Press.
Soekanto, S., & Mamudji, S. (2019). Penelitian hukum normatif: Suatu tinjauan singkat. Rajawali Pers.
Soponyono, E., Rochaeti, N., & Thomson, M. (2016). Pertimbangan hakim terhadap putusan pidana mati dalam kasus tindak pidana narkotika. Diponegoro Law Journal, 5(3), 1–25.
Susinta, A. (2025). Criminological review of the death penalty crime against drug crimes in the perspective of human rights law. Jurnal Hukum Media Justitia Nusantara, 15(2). https://doi.org/10.30999/mjn.v15i2.3738
Yudistira, A. B., Siagian, H. A., & Arifin, K. T. (2025). Membedah perubahan model pemidanaan pidana mati dalam KUHP 2023. Padjadjaran Law Review, 13(2).
Yulianti, W. E. (2024). Komutasi pidana mati kejahatan narkotika dalam perspektif hak asasi manusia. Masalah-Masalah Hukum, 53(3), 283–292.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Rifai Lumbantoruan, Appe Hutauruk, Hotman Sinambela, Sunarno
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
