Although more cases of domestic violence end up in the public prosecutor’s office, there are hardly any convictions. This is shown by media research.
dpa | The public prosecutor’s offices in Berlin and Brandenburg are increasingly receiving cases to domestic violence on the table. However, most investigations into family violence and intimate partner violence are subsequently discontinued as the RBB reports, citing data from the Berlin public prosecutor’s office and the Brandenburg public prosecutor’s office.
Accordingly, the number of procedures in the capital has risen steadily since 2021: from around 11,000 to around 15,000 cases in 2024. In Brandenburg, the number of procedures in the same period is at a level between 2,500 and 3,000 annually.
For most of the accused, however, this apparently has no consequences. The majority of cases were dismissed in both federal states. In Brandenburg the hiring rate in 2024 was 86 percent, in Berlin it was 76 percent.
Prosecutions rarely occur
Charges are even rarer: in the capital it was only 3 percent of the time, and in Brandenburg it was 6 percent. Some of the proceedings end with penalty orders, which can be issued at the request of the public prosecutor without an oral hearing. From 2021 to 2024, 5 percent of proceedings in Berlin and 3 percent in Brandenburg were ended in this way – in most cases with a fine.
In only 3 percent of cases are charges even brought
According to police figures, more cases of violence in relationships and families were reported in Berlin in 2024. According to statistics, a total of 19,213 victims were registered, 429 more than the year before.
According to the information, registered cases of domestic violence in Brandenburg reached 6,790 in 2024, the highest level in five years. Experts assume that the number of unreported cases is high.
Difficult investigations
According to the police and public prosecutor’s office, the investigations are often difficult – among other things, because one statement stands against the other. In many cases, victims also withdraw their statements or exercise their right to refuse to testify.
According to aid agencies, this often happens Fear of a long and grueling legal processas the RBB writes. Financial dependence on the violent partner or concern for the safety of their children are also reasons.
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