HSG Impact Awards 2025: Smart Criminal Justice

Under the direction of Prof. Dr. Monika Simmler (Criminal Law) and Prof. Dr Kuno Schedler (Public Management), the project has been investigating the use of smart technologies in policing and criminal justice since 2019 - focusing on the balance between security and the protection of fundamental rights. The research project is one of the winners of the HSG Impact Awards 2025.

The project attracted particular attention in autumn 2024 when the Federal Supreme Court referred to publications from the project twelve times in a landmark ruling on automated vehicle searches, data analysis and facial recognition. It repealed several provisions of the Lucerne Police Act - due to insufficient legal foundations for AI operations - and reaffirmed the importance of informational self-determination. 

Research shows: Even seemingly simple algorithmic systems encroach deeply on fundamental rights. “Smart Criminal Justice” makes these interventions visible, creates transparency in a previously opaque area and promotes social discourse. The findings are more relevant today than ever before - because new technologies such as deepfakes or AI-supported sentencing are constantly raising new legal questions. 

About the HSG Impact Awards
About the HSG Impact Awards Every year, the University of St.Gallen (HSG) honours outstanding research with the HSG Impact Award. HSG researchers who make a particularly valuable contribution to society with their projects are honoured.