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This research is motivated by the phenomenon of theft committed by 15-year-old adolescents in market environments, which creates tension between criminal law enforcement and the principle of child protection in the Indonesian legal system. The study aims to analyze the legal regulations of theft under the old Criminal Code (Law No. 1 of 1946), the new Criminal Code (Law No. 1 of 2023), and the Juvenile Criminal Justice System Law; to examine the criminal liability of adolescents from the perspective of criminal law theory; and to review the implementation of restorative justice and diversion. The research method used is normative legal research with statutory, conceptual, and case approaches, particularly reviewing the provisions of Article 591 of the new Criminal Code, the theory of fault, and the principle of proportionality. The results indicate that the criminal liability of children must take into account psychological limitations, maturity levels, and criminogenic factors, including the influence of the social environment. Furthermore, the mens rea element in the phrase "known or reasonably suspected" is difficult to apply in practice to transactions involving small losses, as price reasonableness can obscure indications of malicious intent. This finding affirms that imposing criminal penalties on children in cases of petty theft potentially contradicts the principles of ultimum remedium and proportionality. Therefore, law enforcement should prioritize diversion, mediation, and restorative justice approaches by involving families and communities to achieve substantive justice and prevent excessive criminalization of children.

This article analyzes the application of the hierarchy of norms in the decisions of the Constitutional Court concerning Law Number 17 of 2023 on Health using the perspective of Hans Kelsen’s Stufenbau theory. The enactment of the Health Law has generated significant legal debate and several constitutional review petitions submitted to the Constitutional Court, raising questions about the consistency between statutory norms and constitutional principles. This study aims to examine how the Constitutional Court applies the principle of hierarchical norms in reviewing the constitutionality of the Health Law and to assess the relevance of Stufenbau theory in explaining the interpretation of legal norms in constitutional adjudication. This research employs a normative juridical method using statute, conceptual, and case approaches. Primary legal materials consist of the 1945 Constitution, Law Number 17 of 2023 on Health, and relevant Constitutional Court decisions, supported by secondary legal materials from academic literature and legal studies. The findings show that the Constitutional Court consistently positions the 1945 Constitution as the highest norm within the Indonesian legal system and uses the hierarchy of norms as the basis for evaluating the validity of statutory provisions. The Court maintains the legal force of the Health Law when no normative conflict with the Constitution is identified, while in certain cases it provides constitutional interpretation to ensure the compatibility of statutory norms with constitutional principles. This study demonstrates that Stufenbau theory remains relevant as an analytical framework for understanding the hierarchical structure of legal norms and the operation of constitutional review within the Indonesian legal system.