Fines for drunk driving in Germany For drunk driving in Germany obviously fines are imposed rather than prison punishments. The amount to be paid depends on a variety of factors, such as the blood alcohol, was anyone endangered, did an accident happen, are there any previous convictions etc. The fine itself is calculated in a system … Weiterlesen …
credo of a defense lawyer The other day I read in of my favourite law-books (I read other stuff also, well, sometimes). It is „letters to a young lawyer“ by Alan Dershowitz. In the chapter: „should good lawyers defend bad people“ he writes: „Overzealous lawyers are a pain in the ass to some judges. I know. … Weiterlesen …
Remission for „good behaviour“ in German Criminal Law In Germany a prisoner can be released after serving two-thirds of his/her sentence for „good behaviour“. The conditions are named in section 57 of the German Criminal Code: „Section 57 Conditional early release—fixed-term imprisonment (1) The court shall grant conditional early release from a fixed-term sentence of … Weiterlesen …
Victim of crime in Germany If you or members of your family are victim of a crime in Germany, there is a variety of rights you have. Of course you can ask for compensation from the person convicted for the crime. There might also be a possibility to get compensation from State or similar Organizations. What … Weiterlesen …
Spent conviction in Germany When do you have to disclose a former conviction in Germany, e.g. to an employer if s/he asks you in an interview, whether you have a former conviction? The German BZRG (Federal Law on Registry of Convictions) says that an ordinary „criminal record disclosure“ („Führungszeugnis“) will not reveal a former conviction, if … Weiterlesen …
Compensation for imprisonment in Germany – how much do you get? One would think that Germany is a rich country and therefore pays a lot as compensation for imprisonment, if their authorities arrest somebody who later on turns out to be innocent. The bad news is: compensation in Germany is quite modest, it amounts to … Weiterlesen …
The biased interpreter – an often undiscovered problem in German criminal procedures Before I have written about the „incompetent interpreters“ in German court-rooms – today we deal with the biased interpreter. To start with we can state that court-room interpreters are not the „cream of the crop“. Their pay is not high enough to satisfy … Weiterlesen …
Incompetent interpreter in a criminal procedure with a non-native speaker as defendant One would think that in Germany English-interpretation in a criminal procedure should not be a problem. Unfortunately my experience tells otherwise. I will never forget the criminal procedure, where the judge asked the defendant whether he knows the witness – a plain-clothes policeman … Weiterlesen …