Analysis Of The Urgency Of A Judge's Legal Reasoning Capability In Facing Overcriminalization

Rizky Aulia Cahyadri, Gunarto Gunarto

Abstract


Judges' legal reasoning in addressing the phenomenon of overcriminalization in Indonesia focuses on shifting from a rigid, rule-bound positivist approach to a more substantive, progressive, and restorative justice-based approach. Judges are required to be more than just "the mouth of the law" (la bouche de la loi), but rather as enforcers of justice capable of limiting excessive criminalization, especially when the law is unclear (lex certa) or used to implicate acts that should be resolved through civil or administrative means. The aim of this research is to determine and analyze (1) the nature of overcriminalization in the development of criminalization in Indonesia, (2) the position of judges in facing overcriminalization by fulfilling legal reasoning skills, (3) the problems of optimizing a judge's legal reasoning in facing overcriminalization. The approach used in this research is normative juridical. The research specifications are descriptive and analytical. The data sources used are secondary data. Secondary data is data obtained from library research, consisting of primary legal materials, secondary legal materials, and tertiary legal materials. The results of the research and discussion can be concluded: (1) The phenomenon of overcriminalization in Indonesia is increasingly evident post-reform when the legislative process is often driven by short-term political interests and populist demands. Many new laws and changes to laws quickly include criminal sanctions as an instant solution to social problems. (2) Connecting with the position of judges in facing overcriminalization, judges are required to reason legally (legal reasoning) progressively in finding the law (rechtsvinding) as a basis for deciding cases that are full of elements of overcriminalization. Based on the nature of criminal law which is actually held to regulate human behavior with the consequences of sanctions through criminal instruments for those who violate it but as a last option that is in accordance with the principle of ultimum remedium (last resort) not as primum remedium (main tool). (3) Problems that arise within the Indonesian Judiciary that affect the quality of Human Resources of Judges in Indonesia in order to accommodate legal reasoning capabilities in facing the wave of overcriminalization cases, for example structural problems and cultural problems.


Keywords


Judge; Legal Reasoning; Overcriminalization.

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30659/rlj.5.1.553-574

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