{"id":8331,"date":"2026-10-22T14:22:35","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T13:22:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pragal-rechtsanwaelte.de\/?p=8331"},"modified":"2026-10-27T09:23:28","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T08:23:28","slug":"criminal-justice-breaking-point-hamburg-forum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pragal-rechtsanwaelte.de\/en\/blog\/criminal-justice-breaking-point-hamburg-forum\/","title":{"rendered":"Criminal Justice at Breaking Point: Pre-Event to the Hamburg Forum for the Rule of Law and Democracy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hardly anyone still disputes that criminal proceedings in Germany take too long. There is far less agreement on why this is the case and where improvements should begin. The burden is not borne by the authorities alone. It falls first and foremost on the people whose fate is being decided. A debate that is to make progress here requires all those involved to sit at one table. This is precisely the aim of Dr. Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Schneider (Schneider || Mick) and Dr. Oliver Pragal, who have jointly invited participants to a round-table discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The event<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The discussion <strong>\u201cCriminal Justice at Breaking Point\u201d<\/strong> will take place on 2 November 2026 as a pre-event ahead of the <em>Hamburg Forum for the Rule of Law and Democracy<\/em>, hosted by <a href=\"https:\/\/pragal-rechtsanwaelte.de\/en\/blog\/pragal-rechtsanwaelte-becomes-a-member-of-rechtsstandort-hamburg-e-v\/\">Rechtsstandort Hamburg e.V.<\/a>. The two hosts, <a href=\"https:\/\/schneidermick.de\/team\/dr-frederic-schneider\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dr. Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Schneider<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/pragal-rechtsanwaelte.de\/en\/lawyers\/dr-oliver-pragal\/\">Dr. Oliver Pragal<\/a>, bring the defence perspective to the table as criminal defence lawyers themselves. Facing them are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Prof. Dr. Ralf Peter Anders<\/strong>, Attorney General of the State of Schleswig-Holstein<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Carsten Grote<\/strong>, Presiding Judge at the Hamburg Regional Court and presiding judge of a Grand Criminal Chamber<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dr. Holger Schatz<\/strong>, State Councillor at the Hamburg Authority for Justice and Consumer Protection<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Marcus Rogge<\/strong>, Head of Department J 2 (Civil Law, Criminal Law and Administration of Justice) at the Justice Authority<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Susanne Schmidt<\/strong>, Detective Chief Inspector, for the BDK \u2013 Association of German Criminal Investigators, Hamburg branch<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This means that every stage of criminal proceedings is represented: investigation, prosecution, trial, judicial administration and defence. All participants know the same proceedings, but from very different perspectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Overburdened criminal justice: rising caseloads, complex proceedings, scarce staff<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Caseloads are rising, proceedings are becoming more complex, and staffing has long failed to keep pace with this development. The discussion will therefore focus on how criminal proceedings can be conducted efficiently, swiftly and in line with the rule of law under these conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One finding is obvious: every authority works hard and conscientiously. Whether a case actually moves forward as a result is another matter. Those who focus only on their own processes can easily overlook the consequences elsewhere. Sometimes no new technology is needed \u2013 just the uncomfortable question of why a process is still handled the way it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Speeding up proceedings without sacrificing a fair trial<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The round table will address four topics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Simplifying procedures:<\/strong> Where do waiting times arise that serve no one?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cooperation between the parties:<\/strong> How can the police, public prosecutors, courts and defence work together more effectively?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Efficiency and the rule of law:<\/strong> Where does acceleration benefit everyone involved, and where does it reach limits that the rule of law must set?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pragal-rechtsanwaelte.de\/en\/blog\/ai-assisted-transcription-interrogation\/\">Artificial intelligence in the justice system<\/a>:<\/strong> Which specific applications could actually ease the burden?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lengthy proceedings from the perspective of the defence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Excessively long criminal proceedings cannot be reduced to an organisational problem of the judiciary. For the accused, every additional year means a considerable burden: professional uncertainty, financial losses and, not infrequently, public prejudgement long before a verdict is delivered. In <a href=\"https:\/\/pragal-rechtsanwaelte.de\/en\/competencies\/criminal-defence\/commercial-criminal-law\/\">white-collar criminal law<\/a>, with its extensive investigations, this is particularly evident. The right to a decision within a reasonable time is not a concession by the state. It is a core element of the right to a fair trial under Art. 6 ECHR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The defence knows the proceedings from a perspective that is naturally closed to the other parties. That is why it belongs in any serious discussion about how criminal justice can work better. This is not about mutual recrimination, but about viable joint solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Open exchange under the Chatham House Rule<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The discussion is deliberately closed to the public and takes place under the Chatham House Rule: the content may be used without attributing it to individual persons. Only this protected setting allows difficulties, ingrained habits and one\u2019s own doubts to be addressed openly. The insights gained are then to feed into the wider debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We would like to thank Friedrich-Joachim Mehmel and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rechtsstandort-hamburg.de\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Rechtsstandort Hamburg e.V.<\/a> for making this round table possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Further information on the programme (in German):<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/forum.hamburg\/programm\/strafjustiz-an-der-belastungsgrenze.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/forum.hamburg\/programm\/strafjustiz-an-der-belastungsgrenze.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hardly anyone still disputes that criminal proceedings in Germany take too long. There is far less agreement on why this is the case and where improvements should begin. The burden is not borne by the authorities alone. It falls first and foremost on the people whose fate is being decided. A debate that is to &#8230; <a title=\"Criminal Justice at Breaking Point: Pre-Event to the Hamburg Forum for the Rule of Law and Democracy\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/pragal-rechtsanwaelte.de\/en\/blog\/criminal-justice-breaking-point-hamburg-forum\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Criminal Justice at Breaking Point: Pre-Event to the Hamburg Forum for the Rule of Law and Democracy\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8250,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-criminal-defence"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Overburdened Criminal Justice: Pre-Event to the Hamburg 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