Dr Christoph Renning, who was Presiding Judge at the High Court Frankfurt on the Main, and now is Ombudsman at the Association of German Public Banks, recently visited the School of History, Law and Social Sciences to to discuss a joint research project on the German lower criminal courts with Professor Stefan Machura (Criminology and Criminal Justice). The project is funded by the Fritz Thyssen Foundation and inquires into topics like the perceived justice of verdicts, the perceived fairness of trials for victims and defendants and other issues which are similarly relevant for courts in England and Wales. The project aims to generate reform ideas which will improve the work of the courts. Lay and professional judges will state their experiences and note ideas for better policies and practices. The scope of the study includes juvenile and adult criminal courts.
Professor Machura stated: "While we are focusing on the example of German courts in the Land Hesse, the principle results of this study will find application and readers internationally."
The photo shows (from left to right): Dr Yundong Luo (project officer), Prof Stefan Machura (principal investigator), Dr Christoph Rennig (co-investigator).