In the case of certain minor offenses that generally have little impact on the general public (so-called private prosecution offenses, e.g. insult, damage to property), public prosecution is only brought by the public prosecutor's office if this is in the public interest. If the prosecution is not taken over by the public prosecutor's office, the injured party can bring a private action against the accused. In certain cases, however, a private prosecution may only be brought after an unsuccessful attempt at atonement has been made before the municipality.

In the case of the offenses of trespassing, insult, violation of the secrecy of correspondence, (intentional or negligent) bodily harm, threats and damage to property, a private prosecution may only be brought before the local court if an unsuccessful attempt at reconciliation has been made beforehand. The same applies if one of the aforementioned offenses is committed while intoxicated and thus constitutes an offense of intoxication pursuant to Section 323a of the German Criminal Code.

The municipality in whose area both parties live is responsible for carrying out the attempt at atonement. If the parties live in different municipalities, the attempt at reconciliation is not required.

At the request of the party entitled to bring a private action, the municipal office responsible for conducting the attempt at atonement shall schedule the atonement hearing.

The parties may be represented by a lawyer or another authorized representative (however, there is no obligation to be represented by a lawyer).

The competent authority of the municipality works towards reconciliation between the parties.

If the attempt at reconciliation is unsuccessful, the applicant will be issued with a certificate.

The applicant can then bring a private action before the competent local court.