In 2021 there were a total of 130 cases in which the innocence of those affected could be proven. The detainees have now been paid a total of 660,000 euros.
Hesse has paid over 660,000 euros in compensation for people who were wrongfully imprisoned. Last year there were a total of 130 cases that were paid out under the law on compensation for criminal prosecution measures (StrEG), the Ministry of Justice said at the request of the German Press Agency in Wiesbaden. The previous year in Hesse, the sum had amounted to over 532,000 euros for a total of 121 compensation cases.
Anyone who has received too high a sentence in criminal proceedings or has been convicted unjustly is entitled to state compensation. Those affected are also compensated from the state treasury for pre-trial detention, which subsequently proves to be unfounded.
In autumn 2020, the lump sum paid by the state as compensation for the damage caused by deprivation of liberty was increased significantly. With the third law amending the Law on Compensation for Criminal Prosecution Measures, the daily rate was increased from 25 euros to 75 euros.
As a result, the amount of compensation for unjustly imprisoned people in Hesse also increased considerably: According to the Ministry of Justice, in 2019 a total of around 331,000 euros was paid for 134 compensation cases.
