Gabriele Kett-Straub

Prof. Dr. Gabriele Kett-Straub is an Associate Professor of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure Law, and Criminology at the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU). She teaches in the Faculty of Law within the Institute for Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure Law and Criminology. Her research focuses on criminal sanctions, prison law, and the intersection of victim protection with defendants' rights. She serves as a member of the editorial board for the Criminal Policy Journal (KriPoZ) and as a supervising scientist for the DFG Research Training Group Cybercrime and Forensic Informatics.

Her educational background includes:

• Two-year editorial traineeship at the Nürnberger Nachrichten
• Law studies at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (1991 First State Examination)
• Legal trainee at the Higher Regional Court of Nuremberg with elective internship in South Africa (1994 Second State Examination)
• Promotion in 2002 with dissertation 'The Duties of Minor Witnesses in the Main Hearing of Criminal Proceedings' (summa cum laude)
• Habilitation in 2010 with work 'Life imprisonment – legitimacy, practice, suspension of the remainder of the sentence and the particular gravity of guilt'

Prof. Kett-Straub's research interests center on criminal sanctions theory, prison law, victimology, and preventive detention. Her work explores the balance between societal protection needs and individual rights within the criminal justice system. She has made significant contributions to understanding life imprisonment, electronic monitoring, and the evolving landscape of criminal sanctions in Germany.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a growing focus on digitalization within criminal justice, evolving sentencing practices, and the tension between victim protection and defendants' constitutional rights. Her scholarship demonstrates increasing attention to practical applications of criminal law theory in contemporary legal challenges, particularly regarding technological advancements in correctional systems and the ethical dimensions of preventive detention.

Her notable awards include:

• Karl Giehrl Prize 2002 of the Friedrich-Alexander University
• Doctoral prize of the Faculty of Law
• 2011 Habilitation Prize of the Faculty of Law and Economics of the Friedrich-Alexander University

As a supervising scientist for the DFG Research Training Group Cybercrime and Forensic Informatics, Prof. Kett-Straub contributes to interdisciplinary research bridging criminal law with digital technologies. Her work on sanctions law has received significant recognition, including expert endorsement describing her textbook as 'a complex area of law reduced to its essentials – well-suited for specialization studies.'

Her research group actively engages with contemporary challenges in criminal justice, particularly focusing on digital transformation within correctional systems and the evolving legal frameworks for managing dangerous offenders while respecting constitutional rights.