German courts overwhelmed by one‑million pending criminal cases

Around one million criminal cases are currently pending in Germany’s courts, straining the criminal justice system. Officials attribute the backlog to chronic staff shortages, outdated technology, complex investigations and the addition of new offences. The delays have forced the release of some suspects from pre‑trial detention after the legally permitted detention period was exceeded.

The federal government plans to address the crisis by hiring more personnel and digitising court procedures. Experts are also debating faster processes such as video hearings and reforms to the criminal procedure code to reduce waiting times.