Reinforcement judges for repeat offenders increased cases completed in 2025

Barcelona's reinforcements in criminal courts since the spring of 2025 have helped to speed up the time it takes to conclude trials. 

Speedy trials have gone from having almost a two-year wait time, to now taking approximately a year and a half. 

The 39 criminal magistrates held around 8,500 speedy trials in 2025, of which, 3,580 were carried out by the reinforcement judges. 

The speedy trials are for less serious crimes, such as theft by repeat offenders, robberies with violence, petty drug trafficking, or gender violence, all with sentences of up to five years in prison. 

5,000 cases were settled by agreement, meaning those cases did not need a full trial. 

However, the lack of staff in the enforcement courts means there are still some 16,000 cases pending. 

Criminal court cases have continued to increase. From 2020 to 2025, the number of cases has gone from 12,200 to 20,300, with an average yearly increase of 2,000 criminal cases per year. 

In 2025, a temporary, extendable reinforcement for speedy trials had been implemented through the shock plan against repeat offenders.

With several more magistrates, the court has resolved 1,380 more cases than in 2024. 

Cristina Ferrando, the president of the Barcelona Court of First Instance, requests that the temporary reinforcements be extended beyond December 31st, and would eventually like the positions to be made permanent. 

In general during 2025, the judicial bodies of Barcelona received just under 450,000 cases and resolved 453,053, being able to absorb the entire entry.