Overview

• The Federal Constitutional Court ruled in June 2023 that parts of Germany’s prisoner pay system were unconstitutional and set a June 2025 deadline for compliance.
• The new law raises the middle-tier daily wage to €26.96 from around €16, representing a maximum 15 percent increase.
• Inmates can now earn up to twelve annual furlough days, up from eight, and may qualify for partial waivers of court fees through continuous work.
• Justice Minister Benjamin Limbach said the legislation was developed with input from associations and prisoner surveys to reinforce resocialization efforts.
• Berlin and Bavaria are finalizing their own compensation models to meet the constitutional mandate nationwide.