| Table of Contents |
| 1. | Introduction | 1 |
| 1.1. | The Rechtsstaat and the Twenty-First Century | 1 |
| 1.2. | American Power and the American Prosecutor | 3 |
| 1.3. | The Adversarial System and the Quest for Truth | 4 |
| 1.4. | The Most Objective Civil Servants in the World | 6 |
| 1.5. | Cracks in the Edifice | 7 |
| 1.6. | The Silver Lining: Embedded Normative Values | 11 |
| 1.7. | Why German Prosecutors? | 12 |
| 1.8. | Overview of the Book and Research Methods | 14 |
| | References | 18 |
| 2. | The Normative Vision of the Prosecution Service | 21 |
| 2.1. | Prosecutors and the Inquisitorial Tradition | 21 |
| 2.2. | The Birth of the German Civil Code | 23 |
| 2.3. | Judicial Power and the Creation of the Prosecution Service | 25 |
| 2.4. | The Drive to Depoliticize the Administration of Criminal Justice | 28 |
| 2.5. | Prosecutors and the Rechtsstaat | 28 |
| 2.5.1. | The Judicial Character of the Prosecution Function in the Twentieth Century | 29 |
| 2.5.2. | A Commitment to the Principle of Mandatory Prosecution | 30 |
| 2.6. | Conclusion | 32 |
| | References | 32 |
| 3. | The Organization of Prosecution | 35 |
| 3.1. | Basic Organization of the Prosecution Function | 35 |
| 3.2. | Entering the Profession | 38 |
| 3.2.1. | Why Prosecution? | 38 |
| 3.2.2. | The Ideal Prosecutor | 43 |
| 3.2.3. | Learning the Craft: The Written Culture of Prosecution Practice | 47 |
| 3.2.4. | Practice Routines | 53 |
| 3.3. | The Prosecution Function Through the Eyes of Prosecutors | 55 |
| | References | 60 |
| 4. | Everyday Practice and Low-Level Crime | 63 |
| 4.1. | Introduction | 63 |
| 4.2. | The Growth of Discretion | 65 |
| 4.3. | Defining Minor Crimes | 70 |
| 4.4. | The Pressure of Organizational Imperatives | 72 |
| 4.4.1. | The Mindset of Practice | 72 |
| 4.4.2. | The Drive for Efficiency | 73 |
| 4.4.3. | Efficiency and Work Routines | 77 |
| 4.5. | Bureaucratic Practices | 81 |
| 4.6. | The Organization of General Crimes Work | 84 |
| | References | 88 |
| 5. | Discretion and Major Crimes | 91 |
| 5.1. | The Principle of Mandatory Prosecution and Major Crime Cases | 91 |
| 5.2. | The Incidence of Major Crimes | 92 |
| 5.3. | The Societal Significance of Major Crime | 94 |
| 5.4. | Defining Prosecutorial Objectivity | 95 |
| 5.5. | The Organization of Prosecution and the Creation of Decision-making Norms | 97 |
| 5.5.1. | Authority Versus Independence at the State Level | 97 |
| 5.5.2. | Regional Oversight | 100 |
| 5.5.3. | Office Leadership and Mandatory Reporting Requirements | 101 |
| 5.6. | The Push for Efficiency | 104 |
| 5.7. | The Front Lines of Change | 107 |
| 5.8. | Political Interference | 108 |
| 5.9. | Relational Norms | 110 |
| 5.9.1. | Collegial Norms | 111 |
| 5.9.2. | Institutional Relationships | 113 |
| 5.10. | Conclusion | 115 |
| | References | 118 |
| 6. | A Closer Look at Discretion: The Prosecution of Serious Economic Crimes | 119 |
| 6.1. | Introduction | 119 |
| 6.2. | Economic Crimes: Complexity and Change | 120 |
| 6.3. | The Organization of Prosecution as Politics | 123 |
| 6.4. | Loopholes in the Law | 127 |
| 6.5. | Specialized Expertise and Routines of Practice | 127 |
| 6.6. | Initiating an Investigation (Anfangsverdacht) | 129 |
| 6.7. | Pretrial Detention of Suspects | 133 |
| 6.8. | Filing Charges | 134 |
| 6.9. | Confession Bargaining and Disposition Practices | 138 |
| 6.10. | Prosecutorial Independence & Corruption | 143 |
| 6.11. | Conclusion | 145 |
| | References | 147 |
| 7. | The Many Faces of Objectivity in the Courtroom | 151 |
| 7.1. | Introduction | 151 |
| 7.2. | Why Rape? | 152 |
| 7.3. | The Prosecution Function in the Main Proceeding | 154 |
| 7.4. | Relational Constraints | 155 |
| 7.5. | A Proposed Model of Prosecutorial Behavior at Trial | 159 |
| 7.6. | The Construction of Prosecutorial Objectivity: A Look at Three Cases | 161 |
| 7.6.1. | Overview | 161 |
| 7.6.2. | Case One: Rosenberg | 162 |
| 7.6.3. | Case Two: Schneekopf | 168 |
| 7.6.4. | Case Three: Strehlen | 174 |
| 7.7. | Conclusion: The Relational Construction of Prosecutorial Objectivity | 180 |
| | References | 187 |
| 8. | Juvenile Justice | 189 |
| 8.1. | Introduction | 189 |
| 8.2. | The Scope of Discretion in the Juvenile Justice System | 192 |
| 8.2.1. | Defining the Scope of Juvenile Crime | 192 |
| 8.2.2. | Juvenile Crime Rates and Trends | 196 |
| 8.3. | A Changing Landscape: The Politicization of Juvenile Delinquency | 199 |
| 8.4. | The Specialized Nature of Juvenile Crime Units | 201 |
| 8.4.1. | Prosecutorial Discretion and Informal Dispositions | 202 |
| 8.4.2. | The Mindset of Traditional Juvenile Practice | 205 |
| 8.4.3. | The Mindset of Practice in Repeat Offender Units | 207 |
| 8.5. | Fear, Fairness, and Citizenship | 210 |
| 8.6. | Decision-Making Norms | 213 |
| 8.7. | New Models of Practice | 215 |
| 8.8. | Court Hearings and Sentencing Practices | 220 |
| 8.9. | Management Controls & Hierarchical Review | 222 |
| 8.9.1. | Staffing and Workload Pressures | 223 |
| 8.10. | Conclusion | 226 |
| | References | 228 |
| 9. | Conclusion: Achieving the Promise of German Criminal Law | 233 |
| | References | 240 |
| | Appendix: Methods & Research Design | 241 |
