Freedom Fund: Hamburg woman freed after imprisonment for fare evasion!

Freedom Fund: Hamburg woman freed after imprisonment for fare evasion!

The discussion about fare evasion and its legal consequences is gaining momentum in Germany. The word “freedom fund” comes up again and again when people talk about the initiatives that fight to free people who are in prison for fare evasion. The MOPO reported that on June 12, around 110 people nationwide who were imprisoned for fare evasion were bailed out of prison. One of these people was a woman from Hamburg who was sentenced to 50 days in prison because she could not pay a fine of 60 euros.

The initiative pays 10 euros per day for release, which in this case amounted to 440 euros for the six days in prison. In total, the “Freedom Fund” has already freed 1,396 people and thus saved the state almost 20 million euros in costs through years of imprisonment. It's about giving people, who often come from precarious financial circumstances, a second chance and relieving the burden on the judiciary.

Reform efforts in the judiciary

The legal framework in Germany is still strictly regulated. Section 265a of the Criminal Code provides for a prison sentence of up to one year for driving without a ticket. This regulation hits the unemployed, homeless people and people with low incomes particularly hard, as they often rely on fare evasion. Freiheitsfonds.de informed that in some cities such as Münster, Cologne and Bonn, city council resolutions have already been passed to stop prosecution for missing tickets and thus no longer put citizens in prison.

The federal government itself is also considering decriminalizing fare evasion. Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann has presented a key points paper in this regard. Scientists estimate that the prosecution of fare evasion costs the state at least 114 million euros annually. This could be reduced through reform and the burden on the judiciary could be relieved. The Association of Judges and the Association of German Transport Companies have also expressed concerns that the current regulations are no longer appropriate.

A look beyond Hamburg's borders

Astonishingly, an estimated 7,000 people are currently in German prisons for fare evasion. How RND shows, fare evasion accounts for around 3% of total crime in Germany. In 2023, around 148,218 cases of fare evasion were prosecuted, with the penalties often being high and hardly affordable for those affected, who are often in an already difficult financial situation. Part of the problem lies in the unwillingness to reform the existing legal framework, but political pressure is growing.

The Freedom Fund initiative is a remarkable step towards change. The story of the Hamburg woman shows how important it is to create alternatives to prison for people in need. While more and more cities and municipalities are considering no longer prosecuting fare evasion, the question remains whether and when measures will be taken at the federal level to fundamentally reform the system. It's an exciting time and something is happening in Hamburg too - there's something coming up!