ANALISIS PENGARUH KEMISKINAN DAN KETIMPANGAN EKONOMI TERHADAP PENERAPAN HUKUM DAN SISTEM PERADILAN

Abstract

Social inequality and poverty are real problems that systemically undermine fairness within the Indonesian judicial system. This study aims to analyze how economic class differences hinder poor communities from obtaining equal legal rights and trigger patterns of selective legal enforcement. The method used in this study is a literature review, analyzing legal documents and contemporary scientific journal articles related to the sociology of law in Indonesia. The results show that the written rule regarding equality before the law fails to function due to multi-layered barriers for underprivileged citizens, such as expensive court-related expenses, geographical constraints, and low legal literacy. This condition is worsened by law enforcement practices that are sharp downward but blunt upward, where poor people driven by subsistence needs are rigidly imprisoned, while political elites involved in large-scale corruption cases often receive privileged treatment due to the influence of power networks and economic capital. These structural barriers ultimately damage the values of the fifth principle of Pancasila and erode public trust in judicial institutions. The study concludes that legal reform will not succeed without economic improvement at the grassroots level, expansion of free legal aid guarantees in remote areas, and the mandatory application of restorative justice for minor cases affecting marginalized groups.