Criminalization of Cohabitation in the Perspective of Positive Criminal Law: A Normative Study of the Old Criminal Code and the New Criminal Code
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54298/tarunalaw.v4i2.938Keywords:
Cohabitation, Criminalization, Legality Principle, Ultimum RemediumAbstract
This study aims to analyze the regulation of cohabitation within Indonesia’s positive criminal law and to examine the compatibility of its criminalization with the principles of legality and ultimum remedium. The phenomenon of cohabitation, which has increasingly developed within Indonesia’s urban society, is now explicitly criminalized under Article 412 of the Nastional Criminal Code (Law No. 1 of 2023), in contrast to the Old Criminal Code which only regulated adultery in the context of violations against the institution of marriage. This research employs a normative juridical method using statutory, conceptual, and comparative approaches. The findings indicate that the formulation of the cohabitation provision does not fully comply with the principle of legality, as it contains vague and open-ended terminology such as “living together as husband and wife.” Furthermore, the use of criminal law in regulating cohabitation contradicts the principle of ultimum remedium, as it lacks sufficient justification for the application of repressive penal measures. This study concludes that the criminalization of cohabitation in the New Criminal Code has the potential to result in overcriminalization, legal uncertainty, and violations of the right to privacy and civil liberties. Therefore, a reconsideration of this provision is necessary to ensure proportionality and alignment with the fundamental principles of modern criminal law and constitutional norms.
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