Negotiating Justice: Sewagheian as a Kinship-Based Restorative Justice Model in Lampung Customary Law
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51278/bil.v3i1.2673Keywords:
Sewagheian, Kinship-Based Restorative Justice, Lampung Customary Law, Legal Pluralism, Living LawAbstract
This study examines Sewagheian, a kinship-based restorative justice mechanism embedded in the customary law of the Lampung indigenous community, and analyzes its relevance to the development of Indonesia's criminal justice system following the recognition of living law. Employing a legal ethnography approach and qualitative methods, data were collected through participant observation of three Rembuk Pekon (customary village deliberation) processes, in-depth interviews with fifteen key informants consisting of customary leaders, victims, offenders, police officers, and village officials, as well as documentary analysis of legal and customary sources. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis integrated with legal pluralism and restorative justice perspectives. The findings reveal that Sewagheian functions not merely as a dispute resolution mechanism but as a process of social identity transformation, converting antagonistic relationships into kinship through the rituals of Angkon Mewaghei, customary compensation (nyukak), and collective community recognition. This transformation strengthens offenders' moral responsibility, restores victims' dignity, and reinforces social cohesion within the indigenous community. Furthermore, the recognition of living law under Law Number 1 of 2023 on the Indonesian Criminal Code, Supreme Court Regulation Number 1 of 2024, and Law Number 20 of 2025 on the Criminal Procedure Code provides formal legitimacy for the practice of Sewagheian, although its implementation still requires clear operational guidelines to ensure legal certainty and human rights protection. This study proposes the concept of kinship-based restorative justice as a theoretical contribution to legal anthropology, legal pluralism, and criminal justice reform.
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