Overview

• An RND survey published Sunday shows all 16 state justice ministries plan to retain Ersatzfreiheitsstrafe.
• Inmates serving these terms make up about 4% of the prison population in Hamburg and 11% in Brandenburg, adding to capacity strains.
• More than 40,000 people serve substitute imprisonment each year, roughly a tenth of prisoners nationwide, according to reporting.
• Rheinland-Palatinate justice minister Philipp Fernis argues abolition would undercut fine collection and calls the measure a necessary pressure tool.
• Green officials advocate targeted reforms such as removing fare evasion and prostitution in restricted areas from the criminal code, as the DAV cites Berlin detention costs of over €220 per day.