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AI Summary of Peer-Reviewed Research

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Indonesia drug death penalty framed as state violence

A wooden gavel rests on its sound block in the foreground while a person in business attire sits at a desk with legal documents and a book in a blurred background, suggesting a judicial or legal office setting.
Research area:LawCrime, Illicit Activities, and GovernanceSociology and Political Science

What the study found

The study found that the death penalty for drug offences in Indonesia can be understood as state-sponsored, necropolitical violence, with violence running from the state to civilians rather than within drug markets. The authors also report three features in their data: a declared "drugs emergency," justification of executions as protection for future generations, and disproportionate use of executions against foreign nationals.

Why the authors say this matters

The authors conclude that readers should look beyond the usual focus on violence within the drug trade and consider punishment, including judicial and extrajudicial execution, as part of the continuum of "drug-related violence." The study suggests this framing may be relevant beyond Indonesia and applicable to other Southeast Asian jurisdictions.

What the researchers tested

The researchers applied a necropolitical theoretical framework, a theory about power over life and death, to interview and focus-group data from high-level judges, prosecutors, narcotics police, and other police officers in Jakarta, Indonesia. The data were collected from 2023 to 2024 and included 8 judges, 32 prosecutors, 8 narcotics police officers, and 6 other police officers.

What worked and what didn't

The framework matched the authors' data in three ways: participants used the language of a "drugs emergency" and invasion, executions were justified as necessary for preservation, and executions were disproportionately directed at foreign nationals. The abstract does not describe tests of alternative explanations or outcomes that did not fit the framework.

What to keep in mind

The abstract is based on interviews and focus groups with criminal justice and police participants in Jakarta, so the findings are tied to that setting and to the available participant data. It also notes that the study's findings are said to be generalisable to other Southeast Asian jurisdictions, but it does not provide details on how far that generalisation was tested.

Key points

  • The authors argue that Indonesia's drug death penalty can be understood as state-sponsored, necropolitical violence.
  • They report a "drugs emergency" narrative, justification of executions for preservation, and disproportionate targeting of foreign nationals.
  • The study uses interviews and focus groups with judges, prosecutors, and police officers in Jakarta from 2023 to 2024.
  • The authors say punishment should be seen as part of the continuum of "drug-related violence."

Disclosure

Research title:
Indonesia drug death penalty framed as state violence
Publication date:
2026-01-28
DOI:
10.1016/j.drugpo.2026.105157
OpenAlex record:
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AI provenance: AI provenance information is not available for this post.

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