Transformation of Criminal Law Policy in Combating Narcotics Crimes Through a Criminological Approach

Abstract

The development of narcotics-related crimes in Indonesia has significantly increased both in quantity and in the complexity of criminal patterns. Criminal law policies that predominantly emphasize repressive approaches are considered incapable of effectively reducing narcotics abuse and illicit trafficking. This study aims to analyze the transformation of criminal law policies in combating narcotics crimes through a criminological approach and to formulate an ideal legal framework for reforming narcotics control policies in Indonesia. This research employs normative legal research methods using statutory, conceptual, and case approaches. Legal materials were obtained from primary, secondary, and tertiary sources and analyzed qualitatively. The findings reveal that penal-oriented approaches focusing solely on punishment have not adequately addressed the criminogenic roots of narcotics crimes. Social, economic, environmental, and rehabilitation-related factors remain the primary causes of recurring narcotics offenses. The transformation of criminal law policy should therefore be directed toward an integrative model combining penal and non-penal approaches through strengthening rehabilitation mechanisms, restorative justice, community-based prevention, and humanistic criminological policies that uphold human rights protection. This study concludes that reforming narcotics criminal law requires not only regulatory reconstruction but also a paradigm shift in law enforcement toward a more adaptive, proportional, and socially just system.