New DPRU research on drug policy in Indonesia

In September 2024, Carolyn Hoyle and DPRU Research Associate Dr Lucy Harry published a new research article on drug policy in Indonesia in the journal Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy.

The article, titled ‘Diversion or death? The moral framework shaping bifurcated punishments for drug offences in Indonesia’ addresses the moral framework shaping Indonesia’s drug policy regime, in which most drug offenders are sentenced to imprisonment or death, but some ‘minor’ offenders are instead diverted to drug treatment centres.

The article draws on the experiences and perceptions of 136 Indonesian criminal justice professionals, through in-depth qualitative interviewing and focus groups, to explore the moralities that shape drug policy, criminal justice professionals’ interpretation and application of laws and policies, and judgments about who is deserving of diversion.

The study found that criminal justice narratives blur penal concerns with moral judgments about drug offending, with normative responses shaping punishments in law and practice. While there is some compassion for ‘minor’ drug offenders, driving rationales for diversion, drug traffickers are regarded as morally deserving of prison and capital punishment, with traditionalist perceptions of harm amplified by a purgative rationale.

This research highlights the analytical potential of moralities such as ‘compassion’ and ‘traditionalism’ in criminal justice research and policy in Southeast Asia. Understanding the formation and navigation of these normative values may assist in challenging harsh penal policy in Indonesia and the wider region.

The article can be read in full on an open-access basis via the Drugs: Education, Policy and Practice journal.