[geococcyxc]

This is at least wrong in Germany, they are handled by different courts, will not show up on criminal record etc., it's more like a civil case, but with the government. Though of course you could park your car so horribly that it might get to be one, there's criminal neglect.

[zAy0LfpBZLC8mAC]

Erm ... in which sense exactly is an Ordnungswidrigkeitenverfahren like a Zivilprozess? How are the courts different?

Also, yes, "but with the government" is exactly what makes it a criminal case!?

See also:

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordnungswidrigkeit

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strafrecht_(Deutschland)

[geococcyxc]

Sorry, I was wrong about the courts, but at first it is not even handled by a court or prosecutor at all, only by the administration. If the potential fine is not accepted it then indeed goes to criminal court.

[zAy0LfpBZLC8mAC]

Well, yes, Ordnungswidrkeiten are "Straftaten light", if you will, so consequences are generally less severe, the process has a shortcut for undisputed cases, ... but the essence is still that the state makes a member of society experience some consequences for not following the law, and thus in particular the same constitutional protections apply.