Punishment Policy on Homicide Violence in Indonesia

Abstract

This paper was follow-up research of the author’s dissertation entitled, "Homicide by Wife in the Context of Domestic Violence: Case Studies of Convicted 4 Female Perpetrators in Women Prisons in Bandung, Indonesia." The findings from the dissertation showed that, in a normative manner, a wife who committed homicide against her husband was guilty and violated the criminal law regardless of the motive behinds it. Using feminist research and qualitative approach, the author argued that women (wives) who killed their partners in response to domestic violence were also victims. Therefore, imprisonment was not appropriate for them. This article discussed the public’s perception on women committing homicide in response to domestic violence by exploring the reasons why women engaged in such acts, rehabilitation measures, lenient treatment, and protection programs for women who committed homicide in reaction to domestic violence. Based on these discussions, the author concluded that a specific policy was necessary in Indonesia to regulate alternative intervention programs for women (wives) who commit homicide to their partners in reaction to domestic violence. The intervention programs shall include social work penalty and rehabilitation measures as well as implementation procedures, success indicator measurement, and evaluation criteria to see the implications of the policy.