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Reforming the Statute of Limitations under Indonesia’s New Criminal Code: Toward a Modern Criminal Justice System

Journal of Law and Legal Reform · Vol. 7 No. 2 (2026) · pp. 951–986

DOI
10.15294/jllr.v7i2.42768
ISSN
2715-0968, 2715-0941
Published
2026-04-30
Publisher
Faculty of Law, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Indonesia
Language
eng
License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0

Abstract

The statutes of limitations are an essential aspect of criminal law because they help balance the certainty, rationality, and efficiency of the field. However, legal rules concerning time, the complexity of crimes, and changing expectations for victims have come into question. This paper analyzes the new Indonesian criminal code (often called Law No. 1 of 2023), its limitations and regulations, and its contribution to the Modernization of the criminal justice system. The primary question this research seeks to answer is to what extent the justice system’s modernity adequately addresses the challenges of modernizing criminal justice. This study aims to integrate the reasoning, justification, and impact of the regulation of limitations in the new Indonesian criminal code. Employing a normative legal approach, this study is based on the Statute, Conceptual, and systematic and structured analyses, and comparative in nature, to examine the unification, direction, and legal policy of the limitations regulation in the new Indonesian criminal code. Statutes of limitations constitute an essential element of criminal law as they balance legal certainty, fairness, and efficiency in criminal prosecution. However, rapid social change, increasingly complex crimes, and evolving expectations regarding victims’ rights have challenged traditional approaches to limitation periods. This study examines the regulation of statutes of limitations in Indonesia’s New Criminal Code (Law No. 1 of 2023) and evaluates their role in modernizing the criminal justice system. Using normative legal research, this study analyzes the legal policy underpinning the reform of limitation periods through statutory, conceptual, and comparative approaches. The findings indicate that the new Criminal Code introduces a differentiated limitation system based on the seriousness of offenses, reflecting a shift from purely procedural justice toward substantive justice. The reform strengthens legal certainty, supports the effective prosecution of complex crimes, and enhances victim protection. Nevertheless, the success of this reform will depend on consistent judicial interpretation and the institutional capacity of law enforcement agencies.

Keywords

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40 authors · 179 co-authorship links · showing the 40 most connected

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Co-authorOrganisationJoint articles
Waspiah WaspiahAffiliation unknown12
Anis WidyawatiAffiliation unknown11
Riska AlkadriAffiliation unknown10
Rasdi RasdiAffiliation unknown9
Rodiyah RodiyahAffiliation unknown8
Ngboawaji Daniel NteAffiliation unknown7
Bayangsari WedhatamiAffiliation unknown7
Ali MasyharAffiliation unknown7
Irma CahyaningtyasAffiliation unknown7
Dian LatifianiAffiliation unknown6
Nadiyah Meyliana PutriAffiliation unknown6
Muhammad Azil MaskurAffiliation unknown6
R Benny RiyantoAffiliation unknown5
Nurul FibriantiAffiliation unknown5
Muhammad Iqbal BaiquniAffiliation unknown5
Asyaffa Ridzqi AmandhaAffiliation unknown5
Indah Sri UtariAffiliation unknown5
Fitria DamayantiAffiliation unknown5
Didik PurnomoAffiliation unknown5
Sonny Saptoajie WicaksonoAffiliation unknown4
Karsinah KarsinahAffiliation unknown4
Bintang Rafli AnantaAffiliation unknown4
Zainurohmah ZainurohmahAffiliation unknown4
Septhian Eka AdiyatmaAffiliation unknown4
Ngaboawaji Daniel NteAffiliation unknown4
Shofriya Qonitatin AbidahAffiliation unknown4
Syaiful AminAffiliation unknown3
Ahsana NadiyyaAffiliation unknown3
Asmarani RamliAffiliation unknown3
Dewi Puspa SariAffiliation unknown3
Layla Putri AulyaAffiliation unknown3
Robert Brian SmithAffiliation unknown3
Heni RosidaAffiliation unknown3
Siti Hafsyah IdrisAffiliation unknown3
Rohadhatul AisyAffiliation unknown3

Affiliations come from OpenAlex; journal OAI-PMH metadata carries none. Authors without an OpenAlex ID are matched by name, which can merge or split people.

Metadata source: OAI-PMH (metadata jurnal) https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/jllr/oai, first harvested 6 Nov 2026, last seen 6 Nov 2026.
Original metadata (oai_dc) 
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	<dc:title xml:lang="en">Reforming the Statute of Limitations under Indonesia’s New Criminal Code: Toward a Modern Criminal Justice System</dc:title>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Kusuma, Bagus Hendradi</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Arief, Barda Nawawi</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Pujiyono, Pujiyono</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Arifin, Ridwan</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Cassandro, Izan Mateo</dc:creator>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Statute of Limitations</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Criminal Law Reform</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Indonesian Criminal Code</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Criminal Justice System</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Legal Policy</dc:subject>
	<dc:description xml:lang="en">The statutes of limitations are an essential aspect of criminal law because they help balance the certainty, rationality, and efficiency of the field. However, legal rules concerning time, the complexity of crimes, and changing expectations for victims have come into question. This paper analyzes the new Indonesian criminal code (often called Law No. 1 of 2023), its limitations and regulations, and its contribution to the Modernization of the criminal justice system. The primary question this research seeks to answer is to what extent the justice system’s modernity adequately addresses the challenges of modernizing criminal justice. This study aims to integrate the reasoning, justification, and impact of the regulation of limitations in the new Indonesian criminal code. Employing a normative legal approach, this study is based on the Statute, Conceptual, and systematic and structured analyses, and comparative in nature, to examine the unification, direction, and legal policy of the limitations regulation in the new Indonesian criminal code. Statutes of limitations constitute an essential element of criminal law as they balance legal certainty, fairness, and efficiency in criminal prosecution. However, rapid social change, increasingly complex crimes, and evolving expectations regarding victims’ rights have challenged traditional approaches to limitation periods. This study examines the regulation of statutes of limitations in Indonesia’s New Criminal Code (Law No. 1 of 2023) and evaluates their role in modernizing the criminal justice system. Using normative legal research, this study analyzes the legal policy underpinning the reform of limitation periods through statutory, conceptual, and comparative approaches. The findings indicate that the new Criminal Code introduces a differentiated limitation system based on the seriousness of offenses, reflecting a shift from purely procedural justice toward substantive justice. The reform strengthens legal certainty, supports the effective prosecution of complex crimes, and enhances victim protection. Nevertheless, the success of this reform will depend on consistent judicial interpretation and the institutional capacity of law enforcement agencies.</dc:description>
	<dc:publisher xml:lang="en">Faculty of Law, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Indonesia</dc:publisher>
	<dc:date>2026-04-30</dc:date>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/article</dc:type>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion</dc:type>
	<dc:format>application/pdf</dc:format>
	<dc:identifier>https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/jllr/article/view/42768</dc:identifier>
	<dc:identifier>10.15294/jllr.v7i2.42768</dc:identifier>
	<dc:source xml:lang="en">Journal of Law and Legal Reform; Vol. 7 No. 2 (2026): April, 2026; 951-986</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2715-0968</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2715-0941</dc:source>
	<dc:source>10.15294/jllr.v7i2</dc:source>
	<dc:language>eng</dc:language>
	<dc:relation>https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/jllr/article/view/42768/9516</dc:relation>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en">Copyright (c) 2026 Bagus Hendradi Kusuma, Barda Nawawi Arief, Pujiyono Pujiyono, Ridwan Arifin, Izan Mateo Cassandro (Author)</dc:rights>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0</dc:rights>
</oai_dc:dc>