Reforming Indonesia's Approach to Transfer of Sentenced Persons: A Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿa Framework and a Comparative Analysis of ASEAN and European Models

Joko Sriwidodo; Rahmat  Saputra; Akmal Alfarisi Widodo

doi:10.21154/invest.v5i2.10499

Authors

Joko Sriwidodo Universitas Bhayangkara Jakarta Raya
Rahmat Saputra Universitas Bhayangkara Jakarta Raya https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7905-9413
Akmal Alfarisi Widodo Universitas Bhayangkara Jakarta Raya https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0980-1643

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21154/invest.v5i2.10499

Keywords:

Criminal Law, Human Rights, International law, Islamic law, Migrant workers

Abstract

This study examines the legal and humanitarian challenges faced by Indonesian migrant workers imprisoned abroad and the urgency of establishing a clear legal mechanism for the transfer of sentenced persons (ToSP) between Indonesia and other countries. Recent cases from Myanmar, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia reveal persistent gaps in Indonesia's legal framework, leaving migrant workers vulnerable to unjust criminalization, disproportionate punishment, and prolonged detention without a predictable pathway for repatriation. The study finds that Indonesia's current approach relies heavily on ad hoc diplomatic negotiations rather than enforceable legal procedures, contravening the rehabilitative and humane treatment principles enshrined in international conventions, such as UNCAC Article 45 and UNTOC Article 17. Comparative analysis further reveals the absence of an ASEAN-wide prisoner transfer mechanism, unlike the comprehensive European Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons. To address these deficiencies, this study proposes a two-pronged reform agenda: enacting a dedicated Indonesian National Law on ToSP and advocating an ASEAN Protocol on Prisoner Transfer. Crucially, the study reinterprets the issue through the lens of maqāṣid al-sharīʿa, positioning the protection of migrant workers' lives (ḥifẓ al-nafs), family well-being (ḥifẓ al-nasl), and economic welfare (ḥifẓ al-māl) as ethical imperatives that transcend the procedural limits of positive law. This maqāṣid-based framework transformed the ToSP regime from diplomatic discretion to a legally mandated restorative justice mechanism. The study concludes that aligning Indonesia's domestic legislation, bilateral agreements, and ASEAN advocacy with maqāṣid principles would establish a more humane, rehabilitative, and socially responsive transnational criminal justice system for migrant workers.

References

Alfiasari, Titik Sumarti, Ekawati Sri Wahyuni, and Irni Rahmayani Johan. “Optimalisasi Kesejahteraan Left-behind Children Pada Keluarga Pekerja Migran Di Pedesaan Melalui Penguatan Sistem Keluarga Inti: Sebuah Perspektif Dari Sisi Anak.” Sodality: Jurnal Sosiologi Pedesaan 10, no. 2 (September 23, 2022): 179–95. https://doi.org/10.22500/10202240379.

Ambrosius, Christian. “Violent Crime and the Long Shadow of Immigration Enforcement.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 69, no. 1 (January 2025): 74–99. https://doi.org/10.1177/00220027241253511.

Ananda, Bagus, and Joko Setiyono. “The Counteraction of Corruption in Indonesia Based On the International Agreement (Extradition) Between Indonesia and Singapore.” INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS 07, no. 01 (January 25, 2024). https://doi.org/10.47191/ijmra/v7-i01-34.

Andrews, Abigail, and Fátima Khayar-Cámara. “Forced Out of Fatherhood: How Men Strive to Parent Post-Deportation.” Social Problems 69, no. 3 (July 13, 2022): 699–716. https://doi.org/10.1093/socpro/spaa061.

Angkasari, Wildani. “Tinjauan Yuridis Perjanjian Ekstradisi Terhadap Kejahatan Ekonomi Dalam Kepentingan Nasional Indonesia.” Lex Jurnalica 11, no. 1 (2014). https://ejurnal.esaunggul.ac.id/index.php/Lex/article/view/389.

Anitei, Ana Caterina. “The Consent of the Sentenced Person: Disregarded?” Contemporary Legal Institutions 4, no. 1 (2012): 143–48. https://ideas.repec.org/a/rau/clieui/v3y2012i1p143-148.html.

Boodram, Cheryl-Ann Sarita. “Fathering From Beyond the Border . . .: Exploring the Experiences of Deported Fathers in Trinidad and Tobago.” Journal of Family Issues 39, no. 11 (August 2018): 2982–3005. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X18770219.

Ceciliano-Navarro, Yajaira, and Tanya Maria Golash-Boza. “‘Trauma Makes You Grow Up Quicker’: The Financial & Emotional Burdens of Deportation & Incarceration.” Daedalus 150, no. 2 (January 4, 2021): 165–79. https://doi.org/10.1162/daed_a_01853.

Citrawan, Harison, and Muhammad Fedian. “A BEHAVIORAL APPROACH TO BILATERAL COOPERATION ON CRIMINAL LAWS: A CASE STUDY ON INDONESIA’S EXTRADITION AND MUTUAL LEGAL ASSISTANCE TREATIES.” Indonesia Law Review 10, no. 2 (August 31, 2020). https://doi.org/10.15742/ilrev.v10n2.632.

Council of Europe. Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons, Pub. L. No. ETS No. 112, ETS No. 112 ETS No. 112 (1985). https://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list?module=signatures-by-treaty&treatynum=112.

Dreby, Joanna. “The Burden of Deportation on Children in Mexican Immigrant Families.” Journal of Marriage and Family 74, no. 4 (August 2012): 829–45. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2012.00989.x.

Drotbohm, Heike. “The Reversal of Migratory Family Lives: A Cape Verdean Perspective on Gender and Sociality Pre- and Post-Deportation.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 41, no. 4 (March 21, 2015): 653–70. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2014.961905.

Erawaty, Rika. “KAJIAN TENTANG PERJANJIAN EKSTRADISI INDONESIA-MALAYSIA DALAM MEMBERANTAS KEJAHATAN DAN PELAKSANAANNYA DI INDONESIA.” Yuriska : Jurnal Ilmiah Hukum 3, no. 2 (October 19, 2017): 52–68. https://doi.org/10.24903/yrs.v3i2.180.

Ghazali, I., and A.Z.M. Hammad. Al Mustasfa Min Ilm Al Usul - Imam Ghazali. Repro Books Limited, 2017. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=rxQ7zQEACAAJ.

Golash-Boza, Tanya. “Punishment Beyond the Deportee: The Collateral Consequences of Deportation.” American Behavioral Scientist 63, no. 9 (August 2019): 1331–49. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764219835259.

———. “The Parallels between Mass Incarceration and Mass Deportation: An Intersectional Analysis of State Repression.” Journal of World-Systems Research 22, no. 2 (August 16, 2016): 484–509. https://doi.org/10.5195/jwsr.2016.616.

Guardian Staff Reporter. “Indonesia Receives Official Request from France to Transfer Death Row Prisoner Serge Atlaoui.” News. Guardian (blog), 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/28/indonesia-receives-official-request-from-france-to-transfer-death-row-prisoner-serge-atlaoui.

Ibn Ashur. Ibn Ashur Treatise on Maqasid Al-Shari’ah. International Institute of Islamic Thought, 2006. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=H-ebJHL4ShYC.

Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR). “2020 Indonesian Death Penalty Report: Taking Lives during Pandemic.” South Jakarta: Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, 2020. https://icjr.or.id/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Death-Penalty-Report-ICJR-2020.pdf.

Ismail, D. Ekawaty, and Novendri M. Nggilu. “The Urgency of Indonesia-Singapore’s Extradition Agreement in the Corruption Law Enforcement.” In Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Globalization of Law and Local Wisdom (ICGLOW 2019). Surakarta, Indonesia: Atlantis Press, 2019. https://doi.org/10.2991/icglow-19.2019.41.

Karmini, Niniek, and Andi Jatmiko. “Indonesia Agrees to Repatriate Filipino Woman Who Spent Years on Death Row over Drug Trafficking.” News. The Associated Press (blog), December 28, 2024. https://apnews.com/article/indonesia-philippines-transfer-of-prisoner-agreement-b1b39f23b223fe8fcc6bfa07f57cc52b.

Kementerian Luar Negeri. “Rencana Strategis Kementerian Luar Negeri 2020-2024.” Kementerian Luar Negeri, Oktober 2020. https://e-ppid.kemlu.go.id/storage/619/Renstra-Kemlu-2020-2024.pdf.

Koalisi Masyarakat Sipil untuk Hapus Hukuman Mati (Koalisi HATI). “165 WNI Terancam Hukuman Mati Di Luar Negeri: Pemerintah Harus Ambil Tindakan Nyata Dan Kebijakan Dalam Negri Yang Menghargai Hak Hidup.” Organization. Imparsial (blog), June 30, 2024. https://imparsial.org/165-wni-terancam-hukuman-mati-di-luar-negeri-pemerintah-harus-ambil-tindakan-nyata-dan-kebijakan-dalam-negri-yang-menghargai-hak-hidup/.

Laode, Nadila Magfira. “Pentingnya Pembentukan Aturan Pemindahan Narapidana Asing Antar Negara Sebagai Upaya Perlindungan Terhadap HAM.” Muhammadiyah Law Review 9, no. 1 (February 9, 2025): 11. https://doi.org/10.24127/mlr.v9i1.4001.

Latifah, Marfuatul. “Politik Hukum Pemindahan Narapidana Antarnegara Di Indonesia: Tepatkah?” Journal Kajian 24, no. 1 (2019). https://jurnal.dpr.go.id/index.php/kajian/article/view/1856.

Martinez-Aranda, Mirian G. “Collective Liminality: The Spillover Effects of Indeterminate Detention on Immigrant Families.” Law & Society Review 54, no. 4 (December 2020): 755–87. https://doi.org/10.1111/lasr.12501.

Menjívar, Cecilia, and Leisy J. Abrego. “Legal Violence: Immigration Law and the Lives of Central American Immigrants.” American Journal of Sociology 117, no. 5 (March 2012): 1380–1421. https://doi.org/10.1086/663575.

Mulyana, Slamet, Kismiyati El Karimah, and Meria Octavianti. “PARENTING FOR LEFT-BEHIND CHILDREN IN MIGRANT WORKER FAMILIES: A STUDY IN WEST JAVA.” International Journal of Law, Government and Communication, July 11, 2019, 252–62. https://doi.org/10.35631/ijlgc.4150024.

Patler, Caitlin, and Tanya Maria Golash‐Boza. “The Fiscal and Human Costs of Immigrant Detention and Deportation in the United States.” Sociology Compass 11, no. 11 (November 2017): e12536. https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.12536.

Puanandini, Dewi Asri. “PENEGAKAN HUKUM TINDAK PIDANA PERDAGANGAN ORANG PEKERJA MIGRAN INDONESIA.” ADLIYA: Jurnal Hukum Dan Kemanusiaan 14, no. 2 (January 14, 2021): 257–70. https://doi.org/10.15575/adliya.v14i2.9938.

Rahmat, Fabitul, Moh. Muhibbin, and Budi Parmono. “Concept Regulation on the Transfer Sentenced Persons Between Countries in Indonesia: An Initial Step.” Hang Tuah Law Journal, October 10, 2024, 158–72. https://doi.org/10.30649/htlj.v8i2.252.

Rasyid, Sulaiman, and Joko Setiyono. “Extradition Arrangements in Efforts to Eradicate Corruption Crimes in Indonesia.” Jurnal Dinamika Hukum 21, no. 2 (March 30, 2022): 301. https://doi.org/10.20884/1.jdh.2021.21.2.3154.

Rustamaji, Muhammad, and Bambang Santoso. “The Study of Mutual Legal Assistance Model and Asset Recovery in Corruption Affair.” IJCLS (Indonesian Journal of Criminal Law Studies 4, no. 2 (2019): 155–60. https://doi.org/10.15294/ijcls.v4i2.18719.

Saliya, Candauda Arachchige. “Integrated-Flexible Research Methodology: An Alternative Approach.” In Advances in Knowledge Acquisition, Transfer, and Management, edited by Candauda Arachchige Saliya, 1–10. IGI Global, 2023. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-6859-3.ch001.

Schueths, April M. “Not Really Single: The Deportation to Welfare Pathway for U.S. Citizen Mothers in Mixed-Status Marriage.” Critical Sociology 45, no. 7–8 (November 2019): 1075–92. https://doi.org/10.1177/0896920518784641.

Schuster, Liza, and Nassim Majidi. “Deportation Stigma and Re-Migration.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 41, no. 4 (March 21, 2015): 635–52. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2014.957174.

Sindhu Gautama, I Nyoman. “Pemberatasan Kejahatan Internasional Berdasarkan Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs).” Jurnal Aktual Justice 4, no. 1 (June 10, 2019): 54–65. https://doi.org/10.47329/aktualjustice.v4i1.474.

Torres, Jose Alfredo. “The Transnational Fathering Practices of Deported Men in El Salvador.” Sociology Compass 18, no. 2 (February 2024): e13187. https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.13187.

UN General Assembly. United Nations Convention Against Corruption, Pub. L. No. A/58/422, A/58/422 A/58/422 (2003). https://www.refworld.org/legal/agreements/unga/2003/en/21418.

———. United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly, Pub. L. No. A/RES/55/25, A/RES/55/25 A/RES/55/25 (2001). https://www.refworld.org/legal/resolution/unga/2001/en/39663.

UN General Assembly (32nd sess. : 1977). “Report of the 5th United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders.” UN General Assembly, December 8, 1977. https://www.refworld.org/legal/resolution/unga/1977/en/28631.

UN General Assembly (35th sess. : 1980-1981). “Report of the 6th United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders.” UN General Assembly, December 15, 1980. https://www.refworld.org/legal/resolution/unga/1980/en/10695.

U.S. Government. Inter-American Convention on Serving Criminal Sentences Abroad, Pub. L. No. 104–35, Y 1.1/4 Treaty Doc. 104-35 (1996). https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/CDOC-104tdoc35.

Wirawan, Helex, and Ismet Ismet. “Application of Reciprocal Law in Returning Assets Resulting from Corruption.” Journal of Contemporary Issues in Business and Government 27, no. 5 (2021). https://doi.org/10.47750/cibg.2021.27.05.031.

ʿAuda, Ǧāsir. Maqasid Al-Shariah as Philosophy of Islamic Law: A Systems Approach. Edited by Jasser Auda. London: The International Inst. of Islamic Thought, 2008.