Law Enforcement Professional Ethics: An Analysis of Legal Philosophy on Morality and Integrity in Law  Enforcement Practice

Fakhri Hamdi; Yudhi Hertanto; Cindy Armelia Karunia; Nuryahyania Daniyati; Asep Sapsudin

Authors

Fakhri Hamdi Universitas Islam Nusantara, Indonesia
Yudhi Hertanto Universitas Islam Nusantara, Indonesia
Cindy Armelia Karunia Universitas Islam Nusantara
Nuryahyania Daniyati Universitas Islam Nusantara, Indonesia
Asep Sapsudin

Keywords:

Professional Ethics, Philosophy of Law, Morality, Law Enforcement

Abstract

Professional ethics are a fundamental pillar in maintaining the integrity and public trust in law enforcement agencies. This article aims to analyze the morality and ethical obligations of law enforcement through a legal philosophy approach, particularly through Immanuel Kant's theory of morality, John Rawls's concept of justice, and Lon Fuller's principle of legal internal morality. Using normative-philosophical research methods, this study examines the relationship between moral values, legal norms, and the practice of the law enforcement profession in Indonesia. The results of the analysis show that integrity, honesty, and impartiality are not only demands of the code of ethics, but also a manifestation of the legal morality that underlies the legitimacy of law enforcement actions. This article asserts that without a strong moral foundation, the law loses its value of justice and is incapable of carrying out its social functions. Thus, professional ethics are a primary requirement for creating a fair and humane legal system.

References

Akhmad, A., Fernando, Z.J. and Teeraphan, P. (2023) ‘Unmasking Illicit Enrichment: A Comparative Analysis of Wealth Acquisition Under Indonesian, Thailand and Islamic Law’, Journal of Indonesian Legal Studies, 8(2). Available at: https://doi.org/10.15294/jils.v8i2.69332.

Aldyan, A. and Negi, A. (2022) ‘The Model of Law Enforcement Based on Pancasila Justice’, Journal of Human Rights, Culture and Legal System, 2(3), pp. 178–190. Available at: https://doi.org/10.53955/jhcls.v2i3.51.

Alm, K. and Brown, M. (2021) ‘John Rawls’ Concept of the Reasonable: A Study of Stakeholder Action and Reaction Between British Petroleum and the Victims of the Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico’, Journal of Business Ethics, 172(4), pp. 621–637. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-020-04474-9.

Asa’ari, A. et al. (2023) ‘Considering Death Penalty for Corruptors in Law on Corruption Eradication from the Perspective of Maqāṣid al-Syarī‘ah’, Samarah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga dan Hukum Islam, 7(2), p. 920. Available at: https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v7i2.14944.

Aurelia, M.Z., van Prooijen, J. and Van Lange, P.A.M. (2025) ‘How Do People Morally Judge Corruption? A Comparison Between the Netherlands and Indonesia’, European Journal of Social Psychology, 55(3), pp. 472–489. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.3130.

Bahasoan, A.N. et al. (2019) ‘The influence of economic growth on manpower absorption in Central Sulawesi’, IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 343(1), p. 012253. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/343/1/012253.

Bennett, C. (2019) ‘THE AUTHORITY OF MORAL OVERSIGHT: ON THE LEGITIMACY OF CRIMINAL LAW’, Legal Theory, 25(3), pp. 153–177. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1352325219000119.

Brändle, C. and Schmidt, M.W. (2021) ‘Autonomous Driving and Public Reason: a Rawlsian Approach’, Philosophy & Technology, 34(4), pp. 1475–1499. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-021-00468-1.

Carr, D. (2024) ‘Love, knowledge (wisdom) and justice: Moral education beyond the cultivation of Aristotelian virtuous character’, Journal of Moral Education, 53(2), pp. 273–291. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/03057240.2023.2219029.

Claassen, R.J.G. (Rutger) (2019) ‘European Duties of Social Justice: A Kantian Framework’, JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 57(1), pp. 44–59. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/jcms.12813.

Crummey, C. (2022) ‘ONE-SYSTEM INTEGRITY AND THE LEGAL DOMAIN OF MORALITY’, Legal Theory, 28(4), pp. 269–297. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1352325222000155.

Dufner, A. (2022) ‘The Role of Kant in Sidgwick’s Classical Utilitarianism: Two Self-Evident Axioms and the Partial Convergence between Kantianism and Utilitarianism’, Kantian Review, 27(3), pp. 345–362. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1369415422000267.

FAHRUDIN, F. et al. (2023) ‘Restorative Justice-Based Law Formulation on Corruption Case: A Philosophical Analytic’, WISDOM, 25(1), pp. 220–230. Available at: https://doi.org/10.24234/wisdom.v25i1.975.

Ferrara, A. (2022) ‘Moral Duties and Juridical Duties: The Ambiguity of Legal Ethics Considered Through the Prism of Kant’s Metaphysics of Morals’, German Law Journal, 23(1), pp. 117–129. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/glj.2022.5.

Gaffar, A. and Ramadhan, N.J.H. (2024) ‘VIOLATION OF THE PROSECUTOR’S PROFESSIONAL CODE OF ETHICS IN THE VIEW OF ISLAMIC LAW AND ITS APPLICATION IN COURT’, Al-Masail: Journal of Islamic Studies, 2(3), pp. 100–112. Available at: https://doi.org/10.61677/al-masail.v2i3.299.

Gallego, J. (2023) ‘Legal Positivism’s Internal Morality’, Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, 43(2), pp. 456–474. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/ojls/gqac030.

Jędrczak, S. (2023) ‘Fuller’s Clock: A Case for Legal Non-Positivism in Artefactual Theory of Law1’, Philosophia, 51(3), pp. 1333–1351. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11406-022-00598-6.

Khoirin, N. and Junaedi, M. (2022) ‘Religious inconsistency on corruption behaviour among Muslim politicians in Indonesia’, HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 78(4). Available at: https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v78i1.7361.

Kuch, H. (2024) ‘Difficulties in nurturing a sense of justice’, Journal of Social Philosophy, 55(2), pp. 238–256. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/josp.12538.

Llewellyn, A. (2022) ‘Indonesian police on trial in lurid murder of general’s bodyguard’, Al Jazeera. Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/9/2/indonesian-police-on-trial-in-lurid-murder-of-generals-bodyguard?utm_source=chatgpt.com.

Loacker, B. (2023) ‘Does the Ethos of Law Erode? Lawyers’ Professional Practices, Self-Understanding and Ethics at Work’, Journal of Business Ethics, 187(1), pp. 33–52. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-022-05276-x.

Lukito, A.S. (2019) ‘Strengthening the role of lawyers and other professional advisers in addressing economic and financial crimes in Indonesia’, Journal of Financial Crime, 26(4), pp. 1107–1116. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1108/JFC-11-2016-0072.

Madhloom, O. (2022) ‘A Kantian Moral Cosmopolitan Approach to Teaching Professional Legal Ethics’, German Law Journal, 23(8), pp. 1139–1157. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/glj.2022.74.

Massimi, M. (2023) ‘Normative Foundations of Kant’s Cosmopolitan Right: The Overlooked Legacy of Kant’s Metaphysics of Nature’, Kantian Review, 28(3), pp. 373–395. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1369415423000158.

Morozov, A.A. and Denisenko, S. V. (2020) ‘Normativity of Professional Morality and Metaethics’, Discourse, 6(2), pp. 5–14. Available at: https://doi.org/10.32603/2412-8562-2020-6-2-5-14.

Muthiariny, D.E. (2022) ‘3 High-Ranking Police Officers Allegedly Involved in Brigadier J’s Murder Case’, Tempo English. Edited by P.G. Bhwana. Available at: https://en.tempo.co/read/1621216/3-high-ranking-police-officers-allegedly-involved-in-brigadier-js-murder-case?utm_source=chatgpt.com.

Price, D. (2024) ‘Political Revenge? Downgrading Indonesia’s KPK From Hero to Villain’, Politics and Governance, 12. Available at: https://doi.org/10.17645/pag.7907.

Reglitz, M. (2019) ‘A Kantian argument against world poverty’, European Journal of Political Theory, 18(4), pp. 489–507. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/1474885116662566.

RIDWAN, R. et al. (2022) ‘Moral and Justice as the Philosophical Basis of Legal Education: A Criticism of the Indonesian Ministry of Education‟s “Merdeka Belajar” and “Kampus Merdeka” Concepts’, WISDOM, 4(3), pp. 150–159. Available at: https://doi.org/10.24234/wisdom.v4i3.903.

Robinson, L. (2025) ‘Can rules ground moral obligations?’, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, 110(3), pp. 811–832. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/phpr.13137.

Robinson, R. and Shah, N. (2019) ‘Business’ Environmental Obligations and Reasoned Public Discourse: A Kantian Foundation for Analysis’, Journal of Business Ethics, 159(4), pp. 1181–1198. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-018-3802-9.

Rodiyah, R., Idris, S.H. and Smith, R.B. (2023) ‘Mainstreaming Justice in the Establishment of Laws and Regulations Process: Comparing Case in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Australia’, Journal of Indonesian Legal Studies, 8(1), pp. 333–378. Available at: https://doi.org/10.15294/jils.v7i2.60096.

Rukmono, B.S., Suwadi, P. and Saiful Islam, M. (2024) ‘The Effectiveness of Recovering Losses on State Assets Policy in Dismissing Handling of Corruption’, Journal of Human Rights, Culture and Legal System, 4(2), pp. 299–330. Available at: https://doi.org/10.53955/jhcls.v4i2.259.

SANJAYA, F.D. et al. (2023) ‘Muhammadiyah Organization’s Advocacy in Indonesia: Perspective of Transcendental Justice’, WISDOM, 25(1), pp. 253–263. Available at: https://doi.org/10.24234/wisdom.v25i1.977.

Sauni, H. et al. (2024) ‘Beyond Borders: Shedding Light on Foreign Bribery through an Islamic Legal Lens’, Al-Istinbath: Jurnal Hukum Islam, 9(2), pp. 649–678. Available at: https://doi.org/10.29240/jhi.v9i2.9752.

Sukardi, S. and Purnama, H.R. (2022) ‘Restorative Justice Principles in Law Enforcement and Democracy in Indonesia’, Journal of Indonesian Legal Studies, 7(1), pp. 155–190. Available at: https://doi.org/10.15294/jils.v7i1.53057.

Sunaryo, S. and Nur, A.I. (2022) ‘Legal Policy of Anti-Corruption Supervisor Design: A New Anti-Corruption Model in Indonesia’, BESTUUR, 10(2), p. 137. Available at: https://doi.org/10.20961/bestuur.v10i2.65105.

Sutch, P. (2019) ‘Neo-Kantian Cosmopolitanism and International Law: Modest Practicality?’, Kantian Review, 24(4), pp. 605–629. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1369415419000335.

Wahyudi, S. (2019) ‘Penal Policy on Assets Recovery on Corruption Cases in Indonesia’, Journal of Indonesian Legal Studies, 4(1), pp. 45–72. Available at: https://doi.org/10.15294/jils.v4i01.28224.

Yuherawan, D.S.B. (2020) ‘Obstruction of Justice in Corruption Cases’, Journal of Indonesian Legal Studies, 5(1), pp. 225–256. Available at: https://doi.org/10.15294/jils.v5i1.38575.

Zaki, M. and Saidin, S. (2024) ‘Legal Protection and Law Assistance to Notaries as a Public Official in Indonesia’, Samarah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga dan Hukum Islam, 8(2), p. 821. Available at: https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v8i2.17276.