The Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Indonesia continues to experience development and dynamics in accordance with changes in the system of government. From its early existence to the present, the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Indonesia has experienced 22 periods of leadership of the Attorney General. Along with the journey of Indonesia's constitutional history, the organizational structure and working procedures of the Prosecutor's Office have also changed according to the situation and conditions of society, as well as the form of the state and system of government.

The first fundamental change related to the law on the Prosecutor's Office occurred on June 30, 1961, when the government passed Law Number 15 of 1961 concerning the Basic Provisions of the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Indonesia. This Law affirms the Prosecutor's Office as a state instrument for law enforcement tasked as a public prosecutor. A new development during the New Order era concerned the change from Law Number 15 of 1961 to Law Number 5 of 1991 concerning the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Indonesia, including fundamental changes to the organizational structure and procedures of the Prosecutor's Office institution based on Presidential Decree No. 55 of 1991 dated November 20, 1991.

During the Reformation era, the Indonesian government and law enforcement agencies, especially in handling corruption crimes, received a lot of attention. Therefore, the Law on the Prosecutor's Office underwent changes with the enactment of Law Number 16 of 2004, replacing Law Number 5 of 1991. This law was welcomed because it was considered to strengthen the existence of an independent Prosecutor's Office, free from the influence of government power and other parties.

In Law No. 16 of 2004, Article 2 paragraph (1) states that "The Attorney General's Office of the Republic of Indonesia is a government institution that carries out state power in the field of prosecution and other authorities based on law." As the controller of the case process (Dominus Litis), the Prosecutor's Office has a central role in law enforcement. The Prosecutor's Office is the only institution that can determine whether a case is worthy of being brought to court based on valid evidence according to the Criminal Procedure Code. In addition, the Prosecutor's Office is also the only institution that executes criminal decisions (executive ambtenaar). Therefore, this law strengthens the position and role of the Prosecutor's Office as a state institution that carries out state power in the field of prosecution.