Since the 19th century, the German state prosecution service has been criticised for its law enforcement practices. Partly responsible for the negative view of the German criminal justice system is the status of state prosecutors in criminal proceedings. It is unclear whether in its 170-year-old history, the German state prosecution service acted as the advocate of the state or as the advocate of justice. Dr. Martin Wilke analyses whether the German public prosecution service fulfils its task as an objective guardian of the law. In addition to an analysis of the status of the state prosecution service, the author examines how the mentality of state prosecutors affected criminal enforcement practice in state protection proceedings.