Restorative Justice for Victims of Narcotic Abuse within the Indonesian Legal System: Strengthening Social Legitimacy and State–Society Harmonization
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.38035/gijlss.v4i3.1031Keywords:
restorative justice, narcotics, rehabilitation, social legitimacy, Indonesian legal systemAbstract
Narcotic abuse in Indonesia is not merely a criminal law problem; it is also deeply intertwined with public health concerns, social vulnerability, stigma, family resilience, and public trust in the state. This article examines the application of restorative justice for victims of narcotic abuse within the Indonesian legal system, with particular focus on its role in strengthening the social legitimacy of law and harmonizing state–society relations. The study employs an empirical legal method supported by juridical-normative and socio-legal approaches. Data were gathered through an analysis of legislation, literature reviews, document studies, and in-depth interviews with informants drawn from law enforcement agencies, the National Narcotics Agency (Badan Narkotika Nasional/BNN), rehabilitation institutions, academics, and the families of narcotic abuse victims. The findings reveal that the Indonesian legal system has opened rehabilitative-restorative spaces through Law Number 35 of 2009 on Narcotics, Law Number 1 of 2023 on the Criminal Code, Police Regulation Number 8 of 2021, Attorney General's Guidelines Number 18 of 2021, and the integrated assessment mechanism. Nevertheless, implementation continues to face significant obstacles, including the dominance of a punitive paradigm, weak inter-agency coordination, limited rehabilitation facilities, inconsistent assessment practices, and persistent social stigma toward narcotic abusers.
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