Overview
- The state cabinet ended the seasonal clemency on October 21 after a meeting in Dresden, according to Justice Minister Constanze Geiert (CDU).
- Geiert said sentences should not depend on calendar dates and emphasized equality before the law and reliable state action.
- Officials expect the change to cut resource-intensive case reviews and to ease workloads for security authorities.
- The program, introduced in 2020, aided 62 prisoners in its first year and 11 in 2024, and it already excluded inmates with over two years remaining or sexual offense convictions.
- Statutory rules still allow release if a regular release falls between December 21 and January 2, and prisons plan customary holiday relaxations such as unaccompanied leave.