What changed in German society is that police and especially prosecution have been underfunded for years. For a law to be effective it is important that a tran

What changed in German society is that police and especially prosecution have been underfunded for years. For a law to be effective it is important that a transgression is addressed with high probability and low delay ( c.f. To Command and Persuade ). Two decades of Underfunding and therefore understaffing prosecution and courts means that is not the case anymore. The influx of immigrants is to a degree responsible for this, since it redirected large amounts of money. Interestingly, the severity of the punishment does not matter as much as it’s certainty. Increasing the punishment associated with a transgression is usually a consequence of the states inability to effectively enforce the existing laws. Ever increasing penalties e.g. for forms of sexual harassment can therefore be seen as an indicator of a gradual weakening of the executive and judicial branches.