MELAMPAUI KAJIAN PEMBUNUHAN: URGENSI KEKERASAN MEMATIKAN (LETHAL VIOLENCE) SEBAGAI BIDANG ANALISIS KRIMINOLOGIS TERSENDIRI
Keywords:
Criminology; Homicide; Lethal capacity; Lethal violence.Abstract
Criminological knowledge on fatal violence remains fragmented because intentional homicide, police killings, conflict-related deaths, and other violent deaths are classified and studied through separate legal, institutional, and disciplinary frameworks. This study aims to explain why lethal violence should be developed as a distinct field of criminological analysis and to formulate its conceptual boundaries. The research uses an integrative literature review of academic publications and institutional documents published between 2000 and July 2026, examined through qualitative content analysis and comparative analysis. The findings show that intentional homicide remains indispensable for criminal law and crime statistics, yet its reliance on intent and unlawfulness limits its capacity to represent all deaths caused by human force. Lethal violence is therefore defined as death substantially caused by the intentional use of physical force or coercion, regardless of whether the act is initially classified as unlawful, while legal justification and responsibility remain subject to separate assessment. The analysis also identifies lethal capacity as a connecting concept that explains how individuals and organizations acquire the practical ability to transform force into death through organizational authorization and operational rules governing access to lethal means, especially where accountability is weak.
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