Judicial system gridlocked: 1,664 cases per prosecutor

The judicial system in Turkey has become gridlocked. The number of cases per prosecutor has soared to 1,664. According to the data, there are 9 prosecutors for every 100,000 people.

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The gridlocked judicial system in Turkey is also reflected in the data. According to a report by Mustafa Mert Bildircin from BirGün, the number of cases per prosecutor has soared to 1,664. The number of prosecutors per 100,000 people was recorded as 9. 

The judicial system in Turkey has become gridlocked due to rising crime rates and practices aimed at suppressing social opposition. The Ministry of Justice's 2025 Performance Program also revealed the burden placed on the justice system. In 2024, when Chief Public Prosecutor's Offices and courthouses were packed with files, the workload on judges and prosecutors reached record levels.

The Ministry of Justice has prepared its program for 2025, which includes its goals, the activities to be carried out to achieve these goals, and its resource requirements. The program also included the realization status of the data for 2024 and projections for the data.

INSUFFICIENT APPOINTMENTS

The Ministry of Justice's data revealed the impasse the judicial system in Turkey is in. Planning to appoint 2,105 new judges and prosecutors in 2024, the ministry projected the appointment of only 1,108 judges and prosecutors by the end of 2024.

BACKLOG OF CASES

Due to the failure to make the planned number of judge and prosecutor appointments, the workload of the judiciary has also increased. The number of cases per prosecutor, which was 1,592 in 2023, rose to 1,664 by the end of 2024. The ministry remained far from its target of 1,550 cases per prosecutor set at the beginning of 2024.

A similar increase occurred in the number of cases per judge. It was stated that the number of cases per judge, which was 788 in 2023, rose to 807 by the end of 2024.

INSUFFICIENT NUMBERS

The number of judges and prosecutors per 100,000 people in Turkey was also shared in the Ministry of Justice's performance program. Accordingly, as of 2024, the number of prosecutors per 100,000 people was nine, and the number of judges per 100,000 people was 20.6.