Kirsten Heisig (August 24, 1961,

Krefeld Krefeld ( , ; li, Krieëvel ), also spelled Crefeld until 1925 (though the spelling was still being used in British papers throughout the Second World War), is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, i ...

– June 28, 2010,

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

) was a German juvenile magistrate. Heisig was criticized by parts of the political left and parts of the Arabic community for her statements and for her view that some foreign cultures neglect education and encourage

juvenile delinquency Juvenile delinquency, also known as juvenile offending, is the act of participating in unlawful behavior as a minor or individual younger than the statutory age of majority. In the United States of America, a juvenile delinquent is a person ...

. As a juvenile magistrate for

Neukölln Neukölln () is one of the twelve boroughs of Berlin. It is located in the southeastern part from the city centre towards Berlin Schönefeld Airport. It was part of the former American sector under the Four-Power occupation of the city. It featu ...

, an area with a crime rate 40% above the average of Berlin, she initiated the Neukölln model (Neuköllner Modell) that streamlined procedures and targeted an appearance before court within 3–5 weeks after the deed had been committed for deeds punishable by a maximum imprisonment of 4 weeks. Other key elements were encounters between delinquent and victim and community service and a cooperation between legal organs and social workers. This model was extended to the entire city of Berlin in June 2010 and caught attention on a national level. She was found dead in the forest near

Heiligensee Heiligensee () is a locality within Reinickendorf, a borough of the German capital, Berlin. Geography Overview Situated at Berlin's north-western border on the shores of the Havel river, Heiligensee shares borders with the towns of Hennigsdorf and ...

on the 3rd of July, 2010; after a search of five days. The public prosecutor at first imposed a total

news embargo In journalism and public relations, a news embargo or press embargo is a request or requirement by a source that the information or news provided by that source not be published until a certain date or certain conditions have been met. They are of ...

but then quickly announced that Heisig had committed suicide.Jacob Henze – ''The “suicide” of judge Kirsten Heisig'' – ''Exberliner'', April 20, 2011
/ref> The alleged suicide happened shortly after her submission of the manuscript of her book: ''Das Ende der Geduld: Konsequent gegen jugendliche Gewalttäter.'' (trans. ''When Patience Comes to an End: Consistent Actions Against Juvenile Offenders''). Blurb from the dust jacket: "Wenn wir nicht rasch und konsequent handeln, wenn wir unsere Rechts- und Werteordnung nicht entschlossen durchsetzen, werden wir den Kampf gegen die Jugendgewalt verlieren." (trans. "If we do not react swiftly and decisively, if we do not preserve our legal structures and values, we will lose our struggle against juvenile violence."). It became a best-seller in Germany for several weeks.

In popular media

* The 2014 TV movie '
at Wagner Film. is based on her life and book.

Publications

* ''Praktischer Einblick in die Berliner Jugendgewaltkriminalität. Lösungsansätze auf dem Boden bereits geltenden Rechts am Beispiel des Risikobezirks Neukölln-Nord.'' In: Bund Deutscher Kriminalbeamter (Hrsg.): ''Der Kriminalist'', Fachzeitschrift des BDK 40. Berlin 2008, 9, pp. 340–344, . * ''Das Ende der Geduld: Konsequent gegen jugendliche Gewalttäter.'' Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau (July) 2010. .

References

Obituary

External links

Extensive documentary site
*

' In: ''

Berliner Morgenpost ''Berliner Morgenpost'' is a German newspaper, based and mainly read in Berlin, where it is the second most read daily newspaper. History and profile Founded in 1898 by Leopold Ullstein, the paper was taken over by Axel Springer AG in 1959. It ...

'', 22 February 2009
abgekürzte Version
*

' In: ''

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'', 6 April 2010 * Johannes Boie:
Eine unbequeme Frau.
' In: ''

Süddeutsche Zeitung The ''Süddeutsche Zeitung'' (; ), published in Munich, Bavaria, is one of the largest daily newspapers in Germany. The tone of SZ is mainly described as centre-left, liberal, social-liberal, progressive-liberal, and social-democrat. History ...

'', 3 July 2010 *
Von unnachgiebiger Freundlichkeit.
' In: ''

Tagesspiegel ''Der Tagesspiegel'' (meaning ''The Daily Mirror'') is a German daily newspaper. It has regional correspondent offices in Washington D.C. and Potsdam. It is the only major newspaper in the capital to have increased its circulation, now 148,000, s ...

'', 4 July 2010, Obituary {{DEFAULTSORT:Heisig, Kirsten 1961 births 2010 suicides 2010 deaths People from Krefeld 21st-century German women politicians Jurists from Berlin Suicides in Germany People from Neukölln

In popular media

Publications

See also

References

External links