Saxony in decline: fewer accelerated procedures in the justice system!

Saxony in decline: fewer accelerated procedures in the justice system!

In Saxony, the judicial landscape is becoming increasingly dynamic – at least when it comes to the use of accelerated procedures. To be more precise, the Saxon public prosecutor's offices submitted fewer applications for such proceedings last year (2023) than in 2022. While the number of applications was 212 in 2023, there were 325 in the previous year diesachsen.de reported.

The idea behind these quick procedures? The judiciary should respond quickly to criminal incidents, particularly in cases of low or moderate culpability, such as shoplifting or drug trafficking. However, the use of these procedures appears to have varied in recent years. There have been a total of 3,243 applications since the call for increased use in 2018, but clear evidence is a prerequisite for the accusation to be made verbally. In such cases, the accused often have a court date within 24 hours.

The development of the applications

Since 2018, the Saxon justice system has clearly recognized that accelerated procedures are beneficial for both the justice system itself and for society. Loud saechsische.de Public prosecutors are increasingly making requests for these quick decisions. In 2018, the number of applications started with 238, and in 2019 the number was 702. The number for 2020 is particularly striking, with 695 applications and a monthly peak of up to 100 applications.

In 2019 and 2020, many people quickly had to answer for their crimes. Over 51 percent of the applications related to theft offenses. In the Zwickau area, a model for accelerated execution of sentences is even being tested, in which convicts are taken directly into custody.

Political dimension and deterrent effect

But it's not just the numbers that speak for themselves. The rapid prosecution of crimes is being intensively discussed politically. Politicians are calling for increased use of fast-track procedures in order to deter potential perpetrators. A specific incident from Dresden recently made this clear, when a drunk individual disrupted a CDU election campaign stand and was directly targeted by the public prosecutor's office through his actions. Thanks to clear evidence, an accelerated procedure was applied for at the district court, which should lead to a trial within a week. MDR reports on the exact requirements: A simple set of facts and clear evidence are required so that the judiciary can act as quickly as possible.

But the future looks bleak for fast-track procedures, because while Saxony initially saw increasing numbers, current trends predict that fewer than 250 procedures could occur by the end of 2024. This is a massive decrease because just a few years ago the numbers were much higher.

The challenges are obvious: the judiciary is overloaded, the number of judges and prosecutors is decreasing, and the effort required for accelerated procedures is increasing. The demands for faster justice are at the same time in contradiction to the reality of the justice system.

The Saxon justice system now has to master the balancing act between efficiency and justice. The coming months and years will show how this dynamic continues to evolve as society awaits swift but fair justice.