Hessen: Freedom funds buy detainees for black -handed driving!

Hessen: Freedom funds buy detainees for black -handed driving!

Wiesbaden, Deutschland - People sit in custody in Hesse because they took a bus and train without a ticket. A fact that not only raises legal but also social questions. Critics of the current regulation argue that poverty is particularly punished. That is why the Freedom Fund initiative has been founded that collects donations to buy those affected free and thereby relieve the prison system a bit. Accordingly, the initiative has already released 75 people from custody since its foundation in December 2021 and thus prevented almost 17 years in detention, such as "https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/hessen/hr-fahren-ohet-initiative-bauf-menschen-aus-em-faengnis-frei-100.html"> Tagesschau reported.

An example of the serious effects of this problem brings Mario's case, a 44-year-old man who was in custody for three weeks because he had driven three times without a ticket. He could not pay the fine of 900 euros, which led to his detention. If the Freedom Fund had not intervened, Mario would have had to spend a total of two months in prison. The situation was similar, who was bought after ten days in prison and reported the negative consequences for his family and his job.

poverty meets the wrong

In Germany, around 7,000 people sit behind bars every year because of non -paid tickets. According to taz , law enforcement mainly hits poor people and those in precarious situations, many of which are unemployed or have no permanent residence. Nicole Bögelein, one of the initiators of the call for reform, criticizes § 265a StGB, which dates from the National Socialists. In your opinion, we are dealing with an outdated regulation that should not have a place in a modern society.

In addition to the human fates, the financial aspect of the problem is also evident. The costs for the persecution and imprisonment of people who are convicted of driving without a ticket amount to around 114 million euros annually. The state costs an average of 209.64 euros. In some cities, including Cologne and Halle an der Saale, driving without a ticket is no longer pursued by criminal law.

a way to the reform?

The discussion about the reform of the paragraph 265a seems to be gaining drive. Justice Minister Marco Buschmann presented a key point paper in November 2023, which provides to treat driving without a valid ticket as an administrative offense. This measure could relieve the judiciary and avoid expensive detention, argues

It remains to be seen how the legal framework develops and whether the demands for a reform are heard. For people like Mario and Torsten who were put into prison for a lack of tickets, this could mean a double profit: freedom and the chance of a new life without the oppressive burden of a criminal past.