Drastic Reduction in Trial Scheduling Times
The time to schedule trials for minor offences in Barcelona has been reduced from an average of 8.8 months to just ten days, the Department of Justice and Democratic Quality of the Generalitat announced on Monday 7 September 2026. This improvement is attributed to the reinforced on-call court system launched in March 2025 as part of a shock plan to combat repeat offending. The High Court of Justice of Catalonia (TSJC) has provisionally closed the scheduling agenda for the third immediate minor offence on-call service, which opened 18 months ago alongside four reinforced criminal courts. The closure, effective as of 20 August 2026, follows what the Catalan government described as "organizational efficiency criteria" due to the positive evolution of processing times.
Immediate Hearings and Judicial Efficiency
The three on-call courts for minor offences have been conducting 72 immediate trials daily, 24 per court, allowing the two pre-existing structural on-call services to absorb future caseloads. Immediate trials enable the same court to hear and sentence cases on the spot for offences such as theft under €400, minor fraud, minor injuries, threats, or negligent damage. According to the Department of Justice, the streamlined process is the result of coordinated efforts between judicial bodies, the judicial office, police forces, and the administrations involved. The improvements have exceeded the original goal of reducing scheduling time to one month, set out in the December 2024 agreement between the Generalitat, Barcelona City Council, and the Spanish Ministry of the Presidency, Justice, and Relations with the Cortes.
"This situation demonstrates the effectiveness of the reinforcement measures adopted and consolidates a model aimed at offering a more agile, accessible, and effective judicial response."
Combating Repeat Offending
Minor offences do not carry prison sentences but result in fines of up to three months or community service. While criminal records from such offences are deleted after six months, this has previously hindered efforts to penalize repeat offenders. To address this, the shock plan allows the Barcelona Urban Guard to access repeat offending histories via the state’s Administrative Records System to Support the Administration of Justice (SIRAJ), enabling faster judicial action. Data from early 2026 show a 40% reduction in repeat-offence-related crimes in Barcelona, with approximately 9,000 fewer offences recorded. Convictions for repeat offenders rose by 40% in 2025, equating to 1,380 additional convictions, according to figures presented by the Spanish government and the Generalitat. The plan also includes direct referral of detainees with at least three prior convictions for the same offence to criminal courts, bypassing administrative delays. The Kanpai plan, led by the Mossos d'Esquadra, has contributed to a 40% overall reduction in criminal activity across Catalonia through 14 operations that identified 32,000 individuals and led to 680 arrests.
Future Capacity and Review
Although the third on-call court’s scheduling agenda has been closed, the decision will be reviewed based on ongoing data. The four additional criminal courts planned for 2026 are expected to further increase fast-track trial capacity by 2,400 annually, helping maintain reduced processing times.
Primary sources: Barcelona City Council, repositori.justicia.gencat.cat. Reported by elplural.com, diaricatalunya.cat, tenerifeweekly.com, en.ara.cat, catalannews.com.
