Crime and Punishment in Indonesia (Routledge Law in Asia)

Indonesia’s criminal law system faces major challenges. Despite the country’s transition to democracy, both the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code are badly out of date, the former only superficially changed since colonial times and the latter remaining as it was under Soeharto’s authoritarian New Order regime.

Law enforcement officers and judges are widely seen as corrupt or incompetent, and new laws, including new Islamic laws passed at the regional level, often contradict the Criminal Code and national statutes, including human rights laws.

This book, based on extensive original research by leading scholars in the field, provides an overall assessment of the state of criminal law, law enforcement and penal policy in Indonesia, considers in depth a wide range of specific areas of criminal law, and discusses recent efforts at reform and their prospects for success.

Tim Lindsey is Malcolm Smith Professor of Asian Law, and Director of the Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society at the University of Melbourne.

Helen Pausacker is Deputy Director of the Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society and a Principal Research Assistant in the Asian Law Centre, University of Melbourne.