Journal of Progressive Law and Legal Studies
Том 3 № 03 (2025): Journal of Progressive Law and Legal Studies

Application of Immanuel Kant's Retributive Theory in Death Penalty Sentencing for Premeditated Murder Following Constitutional Court Decision No. 21/PUU-VI/2008

Sujono, Imam (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
05 Nov 2025

Abstract

This study examines the application of Immanuel Kant's retributive justice theory in judicial decisions imposing death sentences for premeditated murder cases in Indonesia, particularly following the landmark Constitutional Court Decision No. 21/PUU-VI/2008. The research employs a normative juridical approach, analyzing secondary legal materials including legislation, court decisions, legal doctrines, and philosophical theories. Kant's retributive theory posits that punishment must be proportionate to the moral culpability of the offender, embodying the principle of ius talionis. However, the Constitutional Court's decision has reframed the death penalty as an exceptional and alternative sanction, requiring judges to consider principles of proportionality and individualization. This study reveals a fundamental tension between classical Kantian retributivism, which demands absolute proportionality regardless of consequentialist considerations, and the Constitutional Court's approach that increasingly emphasizes human rights protection and gradual abolitionism. The findings demonstrate that while judges rhetorically invoke retributive principles in their reasoning, practical application has become constrained by constitutional imperatives that prioritize rehabilitation and the right to life. This normative contradiction suggests an evolutionary shift in Indonesia's criminal justice philosophy from pure retribution toward a more nuanced balancing of retributive, rehabilitative, and human rights considerations.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

jplls

Publisher

Subject

Humanities Decision Sciences, Operations Research & Management Law, Crime, Criminology & Criminal Justice Social Sciences Other

Description

Journal of Progressive Law and Legal Studies (JPLLS) is an online bi-annual journal with a summer and winter edition. The Journal emphasises creating an open-access platform to research around socio-legal topics and promoting interdisciplinary research entailing the detailed study of law with other ...