The expert commission appointed by Federal Minister of Justice Stefanie Hubig (SPD) on criminal procedure is advocating for the digital audio recording of main hearings with automated transcriptions. This was reported by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Friday edition) prior to the commission’s submission of its final report on Monday.
According to the reports, the summary penalty procedure is also intended to be expanded. This is meant to allow more cases to be disposed of without a main hearing.
The commission focused particularly on reforming criminal court hearings. This primarily concerns the principle of immediacy. According to the report, the commission adheres in principle to this principle but sees grounds for reform where rigid adherence to personal questioning is very time-consuming without bringing significant insights. Therefore, existing exceptions are to be expanded.
The commission includes experts from academia and professional practice. However, involved defense attorneys were reportedly on the verge of leaving the commission recently. They feared major restrictions on the rights of accused individuals and their own rights, they said. Apparently, they are now pleased to have prevented the worst. From their perspective, the primary goal was savings for the states.
The expert commission is based on an agreement in the coalition contract. Its purpose is to develop recommendations to make criminal proceedings more efficient and faster.
