Designation from the Soviet period - Denstädt proposes removing "Breeding means" from the legislation.
"Zuchtmittel" needs to be eliminated from the Juvenile Justice Act, says Thuringia's Justice Minister Doreen Denstedt (Greens). She expressed her happiness at the unanimous acceptance of the Thuringian proposal during the recent meeting of federal and state justice ministers in Hanover.
This term, introduced during the Nazi regime, is a throwback to fascist concepts of discipline. The Nazis believed drilling was the key to control and discipline. This view, however, clashes with the current focus on educating young people, as per Denstedt.
The Federal Ministry of Justice is now tasked with drafting a bill related to this, as per Denstedt's statement following the Justice Minister Conference. The Juvenile Justice Act governs juvenile criminal law, with the central principle being education rather than punishment.
Read also:
Doreen Denstedt's proposal to eliminate "Zuchtmittel" from the Juvenile Justice Act was supported by all federal and state justice ministers during their meeting in Hanover, located in Lower Saxony, which is neighboring Thuringia. After the scandal of the term's origin in Nazi Germany, it's crucial that future revisions of the act reflect a more progressive approach to juvenile justice, as advocated by Denstedt, in cities like Erfurt, the capital of Thuringia.
