¿Tiene derecho a ser indemnizado quien sufrió años de prisión por un delito que no cometió? La insostenible jurisprudencia sobre la responsabilidad patrimonial del Estado por condenas penales erróneas

Authors

  • Gabriel Doménech Pascual Universitat de València

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18042/cepc/rap.228.05

Abstract

The Spanish Constitution and legislation provide that damages caused by judicial
error shall be compensated by the State. However, the Spanish Supreme Court
has interpreted the concept of judicial error for these purposes in an extremely restrictive
manner, holding that only losses caused by gross and manifest judicial negligence
are to be compensated. This article argues that such an interpretation is untenable
in cases of wrongful criminal conviction, as it contravenes both the literal wording
and the spirit of the legal provisions governing the matter, is inconsistent with both
Spanish legislative tradition and the regulation of State liability for damages suffered
by non-convicted pretrial detainees, violates international treaties validly concluded
and officially published in Spain, and produces socially undesirable outcomes. Conditioning
the right to compensation on the existence of gross and manifest judicial
negligence may be reasonable in non-criminal matters, but it is unacceptable in cases
where criminal sanctions are imposed on innocent individuals.

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Published

2025-12-23

How to Cite

Doménech Pascual, G. (2025). ¿Tiene derecho a ser indemnizado quien sufrió años de prisión por un delito que no cometió? La insostenible jurisprudencia sobre la responsabilidad patrimonial del Estado por condenas penales erróneas. Revista De Administración Pública, (228), 131–160. https://doi.org/10.18042/cepc/rap.228.05