Suspected sentence

The suspicion penalty (Latin: Poena suspicionis ; also extraordinary penalty , Poena extraordinaria ) was a practice that was widespread in German law until the 19th century, in which a defendant could be convicted without evidence , but on the basis of circumstantial evidence or solely on the conviction of the court . As a "compensation" the sentence was usually reduced (for example life imprisonment instead of the death penalty for suspected murder , e.g. Sophie Charlotte Elisabeth Ursinus ). The suspicion sentence is in contradiction to today's widespread, constitutionally assured presumption of innocence .

See also

• Presumption of guilt

literature

• Elemér Balogh: The suspected sentence in Germany in the 19th century . LIT Verlag Münster, 2009, ISBN 3643100000
• http://www.zeno.org/Meyers-1905/A/Verdachtsstrafe