The Feasibility of Systematic Research on the Deterrent Effects of the Death Penalty in Indonesia

In Indonesia, offences in addition to intentional murder are eligible for punishment via death, including terrorism, drug trafficking, and weapons or firearms offences.

This report assesses the feasibility of conducting systematic empirical research on the deterrent effects of the death penalty on drug and other criminal offences in Indonesia. Indonesian law justifies the use of the death penalty for drug trafficking on the depth of injury to social and political culture and the very fabric of Indonesian society. This framing raises the stakes and expectations for deterrence.

We will test the assumptions of deterrence and provide estimates of the comparative advantage of the harshest penal measures on the control of drug use and its threats to morbidity and mortality from drugs and its related health deficits. Research on deterrence requires complex empirical analyses within contemporary theoretical frameworks using multiple indicators and alternate or competing causal models. The report summarises potential strategies, and assesses the feasibility of adapting them to the unique and complex context of Indonesia.