The Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party to Germany’s ruling conservatives, is pushing for a significant shift towards a more punitive approach to crime and public safety, according to a policy paper obtained by Bavarian media outlets. The proposals, slated for formal approval at a closed-door retreat beginning Tuesday, reflect growing anxieties regarding violence, particularly knife attacks, violence against women and juvenile crime and signal a hardening of the CSU’s political stance.
The paper explicitly calls for amendments to the criminal code to enable stricter state intervention, particularly concerning individuals found guilty of knife assaults and criminally responsible minors. Recognizing knife incidents as “no minor offense” the CSU argues they represent an “attack on life and social cohesion” advocating for their reclassification as felonies, carrying a mandatory minimum sentence of one year imprisonment. Critically, those causing life-threatening injuries would face a minimum of three years’ imprisonment without the possibility of probation. The language employed – “not to be handled with kid gloves” – underlines the party’s intent for a demonstrably tougher response.
Beyond escalating penalties for knife crime, the CSU is prioritizing interventions aimed at curtailing violence against women. Building on a government-approved draft law, they propose a wider adoption of electronic monitoring (ankle bracelets) for offenders, a step hailed as essential given statistics indicating a woman experiences violence in Germany every 68 seconds. The proposals further extend to incorporating GPS tracking within stalking laws and legally classifying incapacitating substances, like knockout drops, as weapons when employed to subdue victims.
Perhaps most controversially, the CSU aims to address a perceived rise in juvenile crime. The paper advocates for extending judicial responsibility proceedings to minors under 14 and lowering the age of criminal responsibility from 14 to 12, arguing it’s necessary to “prevent criminal careers before they begin”. This proposal is likely to draw criticism from legal experts and child welfare advocates who argue that lowering the age of accountability risks stigmatizing young offenders and may prove counterproductive in rehabilitation efforts.
The rhetoric surrounding these policy shifts reflects a broader political strategy designed to project an image of strength and decisive action. CSU parliamentary group leader Alexander Hoffmann stated the party’s focus extends beyond mere discussions of urban aesthetics, emphasizing a commitment to “zero tolerance” towards knife attackers, domestic abusers and anti-Semitic behavior.
Finally, the paper includes proposals to bolster civil defense, particularly focusing on preparing students for crisis situations through designated curricula, demonstrating an attempt to encompass a wider scope of public safety concerns. The extent to which these proposals will gain traction within the broader governing coalition remains to be seen, but they represent a significant and potentially divisive shift in the CSU’s approach to security policy.
