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East Germany The Legal System
Crime control takes place on two levels. The first level
involves the leadership of state organs and their functionaries,
who plan all social processes. These organs, including national
government agencies, local government, and industrial
enterprises, have established the system of criminal law. The
second level is based upon rigorous exposure, persecution, and
punishment of criminals and elimination of the causes of criminal
acts. This second level involves active participation by citizens
through service on conflict commissions, arbitration commissions,
and juries.
These two levels concentrate actual power and authority in
the criminal system in the hands of the government and the SED by
reserving to them the sole responsibility for establishing social
processes and laws. The second level involves the masses in
enforcement of state laws and processes. In this sense,
"involving the masses" is a euphemism for social pressure to
enforce the law by creating an atmosphere of intolerance toward
criminals.
Data as of July 1987
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