Berlin Prosecutors Overwhelmed: 62,776 Cases Open as Staff Numbers Fall

Berlin's state prosecutor's office faces a deepening staffing crisis: although the city's budget funds 441 prosecutor positions this year, only around 394 full-time equivalents are actually in post — 16 fewer than twelve months ago. Open criminal cases across both the Staatsanwaltschaft and Amtsanwaltschaft reached 62,776 by mid-2026, with 38,182 at the main prosecutor's office and 24,594 at the Amtsanwaltschaft, which handles everyday and high-volume offences; that municipal caseload has nearly doubled since mid-2022. The office as a whole meets only 86 percent of its calculated staffing need of 456.5 positions, while the General Prosecutor's office operates at just 70 percent capacity. Fifteen prosecutors are detached to the justice ministry itself, with others absent for parental leave or sabbaticals. The outlook is worsening: 68 prosecutors are expected to retire by 2030, with 19 leaving in 2028 alone, and only 31 new hires were completed by October 2026. Average processing times are already lengthening — from 2.0 to 2.3 months at the main office and from 0.9 to 1.4 months at the municipal level.