The direction of development of the national criminal law is directed at the development of written legal substance, namely replacing the KUHP inherited from the Dutch colonialists. The Criminal Code which is still valid in Indonesia is no longer relevant to the needs and developments of the times. As a nation that is already independent and wants to be free from the shadow of colonialization. The purpose of this study is to examine the direction of the development of the national criminal law in Indonesia. This study uses a philosophical approach, which examines the law from the ideal side. The results of this study indicate that efforts to develop criminal law have started since Indonesia's independence. The policy direction for the development of national criminal law is to establish legal substance. Legal development is directed at the further realization of the National Legal System which is based on Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution. The priority for developing the national criminal law is to replace the KHUP inherited from the Dutch colonialists with a new KHUP of its product. The replacement of the KHUP is the implementation of the development of the national criminal law which is ideal for the nation.