A Philosophical Analysis To Uncover The Meaning And Terminology Of Person In Indonesian Criminal Law Context

Abstract

The definition of person and non-person always change through legal history. Long time ago, law did not recognize the personality of slaves. Recently, it accepted non-human legal subject as legitimate person before the law. This article examines sufficient conditions for being person in the eye of law according to its particular purposes, and then, analyses the meaning of legal person in criminal law. In order to do that, scientific methodology that is adopted in this research is doctrinal legal research combined with philosophical approach. Some theories regarding person and legal person were analysed, and then the concept of person was associated with the accepted definition of legal person that is adopted in the latest Indonesian drafted criminal code. From the study that has been done, can be construed that person in criminal law concerned with norm adressat of the rule, as the author of the acts or omissions, and not merely the holder of rights. It has to be someone or something with the ability to think rationally and the ability to be responsible for the choices he/she made. Drafted penal code embraces human and corporation as its norm adressat. Corporation defined with broad meaning of collectives. Consequently, it will include not only entities with legal personality, but also associations without legal personality. Furthermore, it may also hold all kind of collective namely states, states bodies, political parties, state’s corporation, be criminally liable.