The Conference of Justice Ministers of the German states begins today in Hamburg. Berlin’s Justice Senator Felor Badenberg (CDU) is using the meeting to introduce her own motion to accelerate criminal proceedings. In it, she lists points that a reform commission appointed by the Federal Ministry of Justice should consider, as reported by the Tagesspiegel.
Badenberg proposes that parts of trials could be separated and shifted to a written procedure. Additionally, judges should be able to act more effectively against the dragging out of proceedings, for instance when the defense exploits its rights. “The criminal procedure code must keep pace with the challenges of modern criminal proceedings,” Badenberg told the German Press Agency.
The initiative is driven by the increasing duration and complexity of criminal trials in recent years. According to judicial authorities, causes include new forms of crime, a growing number of digital evidence, and a “defense style that sometimes involves the misuse of procedural opportunities,” as stated in the Berlin motion. Badenberg emphasized that the reform must keep the judiciary capable of acting without compromising the rule of law.
Source: www.tagesspiegel.de
