The call for more staff is getting louder and louder in the judiciary. In the ongoing budget negotiations, the judges are now “urgently” demanding more permanent positions. At least 50 more judges are needed, says Sabine Matejka, president of the Judges Association. Police and prosecutors, especially the WKStA, have stepped up in recent years, but the courts have been “downright criminally neglected” – and “that’s exploding now”.
The courts are completely overloaded, Matejka raised the alarm with the APA. The now – and to be applauded – well-equipped case and corruption prosecutor brings case after case for indictment. But the Legal Department has too few judges or support staff to deal with them quickly. At the same time, there is a flood of lawsuits related to the VW emissions scandal, a massive increase in passenger lawsuits – and in the area of cybercrime, a further rapid increase in cases threatens.
Additional burden due to legislative change
Amendments to the law have repeatedly resulted in additional burdens without the necessary human resources being made available. For example, the extension of protection against violence or the Adults Protection Act. This means that the situation in family law is also dramatic. The Adult Protection Act (which replaced guardianship) links almost all resources to ongoing renewal procedures. The warnings that a lot more staff would be needed for the implementation were ignored – “and that’s on our heads now”. At the same time, however, a guardianship or visitation procedure, for example, should also be handled quickly.
She hears from colleagues on almost all levels that the susceptibility to making mistakes has increased due to the high workload, and that some – recognized good – judges have already thrown in the towel, Matejka described. There is therefore “an acute and urgent need for action to continue to meet public demand for judicial proceedings to be conducted as quickly and with the highest quality as possible”.
Long procedures more expensive than staff
The judges are well aware that the budgetary situation is tense in the current crises, Matejka noted. But the economic costs – as well as those for those involved – that provoke lengthy procedures are considerably higher than the costs of the necessary posts.
A week ago, prosecutors announced an “urgent” need for a raise. They demand at least 30 to 40 additional posts (in addition to competence centers with IT experts) – in order to combat cybercrime and “hate on the net” more efficiently.
Source: Krone
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