Overview

• In 2023, over 5.5 million new cases were reported to German prosecutors, marking an increase of 350,000 from the previous year.
• The number of pending cases at the end of 2023 reached 923,000, representing a 25% increase.
• A significant backlog is attributed to rising reports of online hate speech, child pornography alerts from the US, and drug-related cases.
• The Cannabis Legalization Act has necessitated the review of approximately 280,000 criminal records for retroactive sentence adjustments.
• The Deutsche Richterbund calls for federal and state collaboration to address staffing shortages and improve judicial efficiency.