THE ROLE OF LEGAL PROFESSIONAL ETHICS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS IN INDONESIA

Abstract

Law enforcement in Indonesia is facing a serious ethical crisis among legal professionals such as judges, prosecutors, lawyers, and police officers. Widespread violations of professional codes of ethics have undermined the legitimacy of the law and public trust in law-enforcement institutions. This study aims to analyze the role of legal professional ethics in supporting the effectiveness of law enforcement in Indonesia and to identify the factors contributing to ethical violations as well as strategies for addressing them. The approach used is an integrated normative-juridical and empirical-juridical method, supported by the theoretical frameworks of legal philosophers Gustav Radbruch, Lon L. Fuller, and Satjipto Rahardjo. The results show that professional ethical codes function as moral instruments regulating the integrity and professional responsibility of legal officers, yet their implementation remains weak due to bureaucratic culture, conflicts of interest, and non-independent oversight. Ethical codes more often operate as administrative formalities rather than substantive moral guidelines. Ethical breaches have been proven to reduce legal legitimacy and weaken public confidence in the justice system. Based on legal-philosophical analysis, this crisis reflects the failure of the law to internalize the values of justice ( Radbruch ), legal morality (Fuller), and humanity (Rahardjo). This study concludes two main points: (1) the code of ethics for legal professions must be repositioned as the moral foundation of the national legal system, guiding all legal practices; and (2) ethical institutional reform is necessary through the establishment of an independent National Legal Ethics Council, along with the internalization of ethical values starting from basic legal education. Just and effective law enforcement can only be realized when morality becomes the core of all legal-professional activities.