Muhamad Yofhan Wibianto (1), Hartiwiningsih Hartiwiningsih (2), I Gusti Ayu Ketut Rachmi Handayani (3)
The prosecution service, as dominus litis, plays a pivotal role in ensuring the balance between the principle of legality and the pursuit of substantive justice within the criminal justice system. The enactment of the 2023 National Criminal Code, which formally recognizes the concept of living law, represents a significant paradigm shift by requiring criminal law enforcement to respond to social values and local community norms rather than relying solely on a rigid textual framework. This study addresses two central research questions: first, how the Criminal Procedure Code structurally constrains prosecutorial authority at the investigation and pre-prosecution stages; and second, how the formal recognition of living law generates implementation challenges, including normative conflict, discriminatory application, and legal uncertainty. Using a normative juridical research method with statutory, conceptual, and comparative approaches, this study finds a fundamental paradox within the prosecutorial function. Although prosecutors possess formal legitimacy as controllers of criminal cases, they lack adequate legal instruments to exercise this authority substantively. The absence of clear operational standards for applying living law risks undermining legal certainty and weakening the principle of equality before the law. Comparative analysis of prosecutorial practices in Canada, the Netherlands, and Germany demonstrates alternative models that integrate restorative justice, legal pluralism, and prosecutorial supervision more effectively. This study concludes that strengthening the prosecutorial role requires not merely procedural reform of the Criminal Procedure Code, but also ethical reinforcement, professional capacity building, and judicial verification mechanisms to ensure alignment with constitution, and universal human rights principles.
Abdurrachman, Hamidah and Abdul Malik Mufty, ‘Analisis Penerapan Asas Dominus Litis Untuk Menjaga Keseimbangan Kewenangan Antara Kejaksaan Dan Kepolisian Dalam Sistem Peradilan Pidana’, Proceedings Series on Social Sciences & Humanities, 23 (2025), 1–7 https://doi.org/10.30595/pssh.v23i.1541
Abuanzeh, Amal, ‘The Rationale for Detention in the Jordanian Code of Criminal Procedure: A Comparative Study with French Law’, Heliyon, 8 (2022), e11164 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11164
Al-Fatih, Sholahuddin and Sayed Khalid Shahzad, ‘Rethinking How Laws Are Made: Indonesia’s Legal Method Dilemma’, Journal of Sustainable Development and Regulatory Issues, 3 (2025), 170 – 190 https://doi.org/10.53955/jsderi.v3i2.32
Amangeldiyevna, Kuanaliyeva Guldana, ‘Some Issues of International Legal Standards Compliance in the Area of Individual Rights in Criminal Proceedings of the Republic of Kazakhstan’, Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 81 (2013), 552–57 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.06.475
Anda, Carlos E Gallego, ‘Good Living as a Living Law’, Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 47 (2018), 30–40 https://doi.org/10.1017/jie.2017.30
Anis Mashdurohatun, Bambang Sugihartono, Nurul Masrifah, Arief Indra Kusuma Adhi, Henning Glaser, ‘Combating Digital Defamation: Regulations, Challenges and Protecting Reputation Anis’, Journal of Sustainable Development and Regulatory Issues (JSDERI), 3 (2025), 486–514 https://doi.org/10.53955/jsderi.v3i3.147 Journal
Anwar, Reski, ‘Eksistensi Asas Legalitas Formil Dan Materil Pada KUHP Nasional’, Jurnal Fakta Hukum (JFH), 2 (2023), 145–59 https://doi.org/10.58819/jurnalfaktahukum(jfh).v2i2.106
Arief, Barda Nawawi, Bunga Rampai Kebijakan Hukum Pidana:(Perkembangan Penyusunan Konsep KUHP Baru), 3rd edn (Kencana, 2011) https://jdih.maritim.go.id/bunga-rampai-kebijakan-hukum-pidana
Artadinata, Naomi and Sahuri Lasmadi, ‘Pengaturan Jaksa Penuntut Umum Dalam Penanganan Tindak Pidana Korupsi Berdasarkan Asas Dominus Litis’, PAMPAS: Journal of Criminal Law, 4 (2023), 311–21 https://doi.org/10.22437/pampas.v4i3.28637
Avni, Omrit, Joshua Guetzkow and Badi Hasisi, ‘Bias in Prosecutorial Decision Making: Bridging Focal Concerns & Group Threat’, Journal of Criminal Justice, 92 (2024), 102192 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2024.102192
Bernet, Tobias, Peter Bescherer, Kristine Beurskens, Robert Feustel and Boris Michel, ‘Stadt von Rechts?’, 7 (2019), 7–22 http://dx.doi.org/10.17169/refubium-2370
Boryslavska, Olena, ‘Judicial Reforms in Eastern Europe: Ensuring The Right to a Fair Trial or an Attack on The Independence of The Judiciary?’, Access to Justice in Eastern Europe, 9 (2021), 122–42 https://doi.org/10.33327/AJEE-18-4.1-a000049
Buckley, Peter J, Peter Enderwick, Linda Hsieh and Oded Shenkar, ‘International Business Theory and the Criminal Multinational Enterprise’, Journal of World Business, 59 (2024), 101553 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2024.101553
Capus, Nadja and Melody Bozinova, ‘Impression Management in Corporate Corruption Settlements: The Storied Self of the Prosecutorial Authority’, International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 73 (2023), 100578 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlcj.2023.100578
Carr, S, E Piasecki and A Gallop, ‘Demonstrating Reliability through Transparency: A Scientific Validity Framework to Assist Scientists and Lawyers in Criminal Proceedings’, Forensic Science International, 308 (2020), 110110 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2019.110110
Cepeda-Francese, Camilo A and Aurora A Ramírez-Álvarez, ‘Reforming Justice under a Security Crisis: The Case of the Criminal Justice Reform in Mexico’, World Development, 163 (2023), 106148 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2022.106148
Cinque, Alexa, Matthew Epperson, Rachel Garthe, Hannah Lee and Leon Sawh, ‘Program Outcomes in a Light-Touch Prosecutor-Led Misdemeanor Diversion Program’, Journal of Criminal Justice, 101 (2025), 102498 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2025.102498
Dr. Rio Saputra, S.H.M.H.D.L.S.H.M.H.D.D.S.N.S.H.M.H., Reformasi Hukum Acara Pidana: Menyongsong KUHAP Baru (Langgam Pustaka, 2025) https://books.google.co.id/books?id=bnFREQAAQBAJ
EM, Irawan, Jawade Hafidz, Sri Wahyuningsih and Isnawati Isnawati, ‘The Reconstruction of the Prosecutor’s Authority Regulation as Dominus Litis in the Enforcement of Corruption Criminal Acts Based on the Values of Justice’, International Journal of Social Science Research and Review, 8 (2025) https://doi.org/10.47814/ijssrr.v8i7.2724
Erdianti, RN and S Al-Fatih, ‘Fostering as an Alternative Sanction for Juveniles in the Perspective of Child Protection in Indonesia’, Journal of Indonesian Legal Studies, 4 (2019), 119–28 https://doi.org/10.15294/jils.v4i01.29315
Ervindo Delpiro, Emmilia Rusdiana, ‘Pidana Perpajakan Dikaitkan Dengan Kuhap Ervindo Delpiro Emmilia Rusdiana Abstrak Abstrak’, Jurnal Novum, 8 (2021), 1–15 https://doi.org/10.2674/novum.v0i0.38018
F. Nugroho, Hartiwiningsih, I Gusti Ayu Ketut Rachmi Handayani, ‘Rethinking Subsidiary in Corruption Cases: Indonesian Experiences’, Journal of Human Rights, Culture and Legal System, 5 (2025), 686–713 https://doi.org/10.53955/jhcls.v5i2.714
Faried, Femmy Silaswaty, Hadi Mahmud and Suparwi, ‘Mainstreaming Restorative Justice in Termination of Prosecution in Indonesia’, Journal of Human Rights, Culture and Legal System, 2 (2022), 66–77 https://doi.org/10.53955/jhcls.v2i1.31
Al Fatih, Sholahuddin and Asrul Ibrahim Nur, ‘Does the Constitutional Court on Local Election Responsive Decisions?’, Journal of Human Rights, Culture and Legal System, 3 (2023), 569–96 https://doi.org/10.53955/jhcls.v3i3.74
Gani Hamaminata, ‘Perkembangan Sistem Peradilan Pidana Di Indonesia’, Jurnal Hukum, Politik Dan Ilmu Sosial, 2 (2023), 52–64 https://doi.org/10.55606/jhpis.v2i4.2334
Gilbert, Allison R, Josie Caves Sivaraman, Reginald Lerebours, Michele M Easter and Reah Siegel, ‘Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) in North Carolina: A Longitudinal Analysis of Criminal-Legal Outcomes’, Journal of Criminal Justice, 96 (2025), 102323 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2024.102323
Gonzalez-Ocantos, Ezequiel A, Paula Muñoz Chirinos, Nara Pavão and Viviana Baraybar Hidalgo, eds., ‘Prosecutors, Voters, and the Criminalisation of Corruption in Latin America’, in Prosecutors, Voters, and the Criminalization of Corruption in Latin America: The Case of Lava Jato, Cambridge Studies in Law and Society (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2023), pp. i–i https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/AA7C612437F29C3A7A3895346B7853CB
Goto, Akira, ‘Citizen Participation in Criminal Trials in Japan’, International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 42 (2014), 117–29 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlcj.2013.07.001
Harahap, Ahmad Rivai Ardiansyah, Sayyid Al Farros and Asmak Ul Hosnah, ‘Implementation of Pancasila Values in the Formation of Law No. 1 of 2023 (New Criminal Code)’, Formosa Journal of Science and Technology, 4 (2025), 27–38 https://doi.org/10.55927/fjst.v4i1.13001
Hazgui, Mouna, Peter Triantafillou and Signe Elmer Christensen, ‘On the Legitimacy and Apoliticality of Public Sector Performance Audit: Exploratory Evidence from Canada and Denmark’, Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal, 35 (2022), 1375–1401 https://doi.org/10.1108/AAAJ-04-2020-4508
Hidayah, Nur Putri and Sholahuddin Al-Fatih, ‘Recognition and Strengthening the Customary Land Ownership in Central Borneo Province’, Jurnal Hukum Novelty, 10 (2019), 11 – 22 https://doi.org/10.26555/novelty.v10i1.a12980
Hobson, Jonathan and Brian Payne, ‘Building Restorative Justice Services: Considerations on Top-down and Bottom-up Approaches’, International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 71 (2022), 100555 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlcj.2022.100555
Huang, Kuo-Chang, Kong-Pin Chen and Chang-Ching Lin, ‘Does the Type of Criminal Defense Counsel Affect Case Outcomes?: A Natural Experiment in Taiwan’, International Review of Law and Economics, 30 (2010), 113–27 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irle.2009.09.005
Hutahaean, Armunanto and Erlyn Indarti, ‘Implementation of Investigation by the Indonesian National Police in Eradicating Corruption Crime’, Journal of Money Laundering Control, 23 (2020), 136–54 https://doi.org/10.1108/JMLC-12-2018-0075
Iskandar, Dedi, Zulbaidah W.N, Angga Almanda, Iswandi Abdinur, Devi Putra, Cut Andriani, and others, ‘Perkembangan Teori Dan Penerapan Asas Legalitas Dalam Hukum Pidana Indonesia’, Jimmi: Jurnal Ilmiah Mahasiswa Multidisiplin, 1 (2024), 293–305 https://doi.org/10.71153/jimmi.v1i3.147
Jaelani, Abdul Kadir and Resti Dian Luthviati, ‘The Crime Of Damage After the Constitutional Court ’ s Decision Number 76 / PUU-XV / 2017’, Journal of Human Rights, Culture and Legal System, 1 (2021), 31–41 https://doi.org/10.53955/jhcls.v1i1.5
KEJAKSAAN AGUNG RI, Laporan Kinerja Instansi Pemerintah (LKjIP) Kejaksaan RI Tahun 2024 (Jakarta, 2024) https://jdih.kejaksaan.go.id/buku/view?id=4851
Korompot, Moh Iqra Syabani, Sholahuddin Al-Fatih and David Pradhan, ‘The Principle of Equality Before the Law in Indonesian Corruption Case: Is It Relevant?’, Journal of Human Rights, Culture and Legal System, 1 (2021), 135–46 https://doi.org/10.53955/jhcls.v1i3.13
Körtl, Cornelia and Imad Chbib, ‘Illicit Enrichment in Germany: An Evaluation of the Reformed Asset Recovery Regime’s Ability to Confiscate Proceeds of Crime’, International Review of Law and Economics, 80 (2024), 106230 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irle.2024.106230
Liu, Lianlian, ‘A Jurisprudential Analysis of the Concurrent Criminal Jurisdiction over Cross-Border Telecom Fraud Crime’, Journal of Financial Crime, 28 (2020), 1296–1316 https://doi.org/10.1108/JFC-09-2019-0123
Liu, Xian, Wen Wang and Shoujun Huang, ‘Criminal Enforcement and Environmental Performance: Evidence from China’, Ecological Economics, 224 (2024), 108267 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2024.108267
Luhukay, Roni Sulistyanto and Abdul Kadir Jaelani, ‘Penataan Sistem Peraturan Perundang-Undangan Dalam Mendukung Penguatan Konstitusi Ekonomi Indonesia’, JATISWARA, 34 (2019), 155–170 https://doi.org/10.29303/jtsw.v34i2.200
Mancano, Leandro and Deborah Russo, ‘Punishment of Criminals’, in Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace, & Conflict (Third Edition), ed. by Lester R Kurtz, Third Edit (Oxford: Academic Press, 2022), pp. 539–51 https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-820195-4.00160-6
Mantri, Bagus Hanindyo, . Hartiwingsih and Muhammad Rustamaji, ‘Termination of Prosecution by Public Prosecutor in Corruption Crime in Indonesia: A Comparison with Various Countries’, Journal of Ecohumanism, 3 (2025), 10341 – 10352 https://doi.org/10.62754/joe.v3i8.5645
Marder, Ian D, ‘Mapping Restorative Justice and Restorative Practices in Criminal Justice in the Republic of Ireland’, International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 70 (2022), 100544 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlcj.2022.100544
de Miguel Perales, Carlos and George Wilkinson, ‘Criminal Enforcement of Environmental Law in the European Union and the United States’, ed. by Philip B T - Encyclopedia of Toxicology (Fourth Edition) Wexler (Oxford: Academic Press, 2024), pp. 311–16 https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-824315-2.00051-8
Muhdor, Algifari Malhanie, Agung Adi Saputra and Universitas Bandar Lampung, ‘Efektivitas Restorative Justice Dalam Mengurangi Tindak Pidana Di Tinjauan Dari Perspektif Kejaksaan’, Journal of Science and Social Research, 4 (2024), 1242–51 https://doi.org/10.31004/innovative.v4i6.16250
Mukai, Tomoya, Yuma Matsuki and Eiichiro Watamura, ‘Who Participates in Criminal Justice? An Exploratory Study in Japan’, International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 77 (2024), 100670 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlcj.2024.100670
Mulya, Budi, Ulya Kencana, Cholidi Cholidi and M Zuhdi, ‘Asas Dominus Litis Bagi Kejaksaan Dalam Penuntutan Tindak Pidana Berdasarkan Undang-Undang’, Wajah Hukum, 6 (2022), 367 https://doi.org/10.33087/wjh.v6i2.950
Nursyamsudin, Nursyamsudin and Samud Samud, ‘Sistem Peradilan Pidana Terpadu (Integreted Criminal Justice System) Menurut Kuhap’, Mahkamah : Jurnal Kajian Hukum Islam, 7 (2022), 149 https://doi.org/10.24235/mahkamah.v7i1.10413
Oudenampsen, Merijn, ‘The Conservative Embrace of Progressive Values : On the Intellectual Origins of the Swing to the Right in Dutch Politics’, 2018 https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:165549570
Panca Sarjana Putra, Fahrizal S.Siagian, Brimob Ritonga, Saied Firouzfar and Dedi Kurniawan, ‘Legal Politics of Investigation Authority in Criminal Offences Under the Draft Criminal Procedure Code (RKUHAP)’, JUSTISI, 11 (2025), 686–701 https://doi.org/10.33506/js.v11i3.4273
Persak, Nina, ‘Beyond Public Punitiveness: The Role of Emotions in Criminal Law Policy’, International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 57 (2019), 47–58 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlcj.2019.02.001
Purwanto, Budhi, Sri Endah Wahyuningsih, Gunarto Gunarto and Jawade Hafidz, ‘Submission of Criminal Case Files from Investigators to Prosecutors in Criminal Law Enforcement in Indonesia’, International Journal of Social Science and Human Research, 08 (2025), 5497–5503 https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v8-i7-70
Saputra, Denny, Kurniawan, Andi Perdana and Hendrik Murbawan, ‘Peran Jaksa Dalam Sistem Peradilan Di Indonesia’, Halu Oleo Law Review, 6 (2022), 218–37 https://doi.org/10.33561/holrev.v6i2.7
Sari, Dessi Perdani Yuris Puspita, Handityo Basworo, Haedah Faradz, Implementation of Principles Is Simple, Fast and Low Cost in the Banyumas District Court Class II (Atlantis Press SARL, 2023) https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-164-7_73
Sasmita, Randikha Prabu Raharja, Sigid Suseno and Patris Yusrian Jaya, ‘The Concept of Reasons for Eliminating Corporate Crime in Criminal Law in Indonesia’, Heliyon, 9 (2023), e21602 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21602
Sellers, Brian G and Bruce A Arrigo, ‘The Narrative Framework of Psychological Jurisprudence: Virtue Ethics as Criminal Justice Practice’, Aggression and Violent Behavior, 63 (2022), 101671 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2021.101671
Siboy, Ahmad, Sholahuddin Al-Fatih, Asrul Ibrahim Nur and Nur Putri Hidayah, ‘Judicial Review in Indonesia: A Simplification Model’, Lex Scientia Law Review, 6 (2022), 359 – 390 https://doi.org/10.15294/lesrev.v6i2.54848
Sukmayanti, Made Sinthia, Fakultas Hukum, Universitas Udayana, Fakultas Hukum, Universitas Ngurah, Hak Asasi Manusia, and others, ‘Dominus Litis Pada Komisi Nasional Hak Asasi Manusia Dalam Penegakan Hak Asasi Manusia Di Indonesia’, Jurnal Yustitia Fakultas Hukum Universitas Ngurah Rai, 18 (2024), 11–19 https://doi.org/10.62279/yustitia.v18i1.1190
Sunaryo, S, SA Purnamawati, M Jihadi and S Al-Fatih, ‘The Narrating Ontology Morality Of Corruption Law In Indonesia Based On Islamic Value’, Jurnal Hukum Unissula, 41 (2025), 133–56 https://doi.org/10.26532/jh.v41i1.37154
Sunaryo, Sidik and Sholahuddin Al-Fatih, ‘How Corruptor Should Be Punished? A Comparative Study Between Criminal Law, Islamic Law, and Customary Law’, International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences, 17 (2022), 91 – 100 https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4756112
Susilo, Erwin, Mohd Din, . Suhaimi, Teuku Muttaqin Mansur and Dharma Setiawan Negara, ‘Pretrial Failures in Ensuring the Merit of Cases: Critical Analysis and Innovative Reconstruction’, Journal of Ecohumanism, 3 (2024), 8602 – 8612 https://doi.org/10.62754/joe.v3i8.5477
Swofford, H and C Champod, ‘Probabilistic Reporting and Algorithms in Forensic Science: Stakeholder Perspectives within the American Criminal Justice System’, Forensic Science International: Synergy, 4 (2022), 100220 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsisyn.2022.100220
Tuazon, Oliver M, Ray A Wickenheiser, Ricky Ansell, Christi J Guerrini, Gerrit-Jan Zwenne and Bart Custers, ‘Law Enforcement Use of Genetic Genealogy Databases in Criminal Investigations: Nomenclature, Definition and Scope’, Forensic Science International: Synergy, 8 (2024), 100460 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsisyn.2024.100460
Turvey, Brent E, ‘Chapter 1 - A History of Criminal Profiling’, ed. by Brent E B T - Criminal Profiling (Fifth Edition) Turvey (Academic Press, 2023), pp. 3–45 https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-815583-7.00001-0
Utama, Rico Yodi Tri and Retno Saraswati, ‘Independensi Dan Urgensi Restrukturisasi Sistem Peradilan Pidana Indonesia Berdasarkan Aspek Kekuasaan Kehakiman’, Ajudikasi : Jurnal Ilmu Hukum, 5 (2021), 53–70 https://doi.org/10.30656/ajudikasi.v5i1.2740
Wang, Han and Mengliang Dai, ‘Moralization of Law, Heavy-Penaltyism, and Retributive Justice: A Corpus-Assisted Study of Legal Consciousness on Chinese Social Media’, International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 79 (2024), 100700 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlcj.2024.100700
Yahya Harahap, Pembahasan Permasalahan Dan Penerapan KUHAP: Pemeriksaan Sidang Pengadilan, Banding, Kasasi, Dan Peninjauan Kembali (Jakarta: Sinar Grafika, 2009)
Yang, Li, Branko Milanovic and Yaoqi Lin, ‘Anti-Corruption Campaign in China: An Empirical Investigation’, European Journal of Political Economy, 85 (2024), 102559 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2024.102559