Virtual reality plays its role in convicting Nazi SS guards who killed millions
Criminal convictions, particularly involving historic crimes, are often made or broken on just how well jurors can visualise the scenes of the crimes using second hand evidence, now VR can give them a first person view.
Key takeaways
- The model was created from a variety of data sources, including surveyor’s maps, building blueprints, more than a thousand photographs, and 3D laser scans of the camp’s surviving structures.
- The strategy didn’t have its first success until 2011—and now German authorities regularly prosecute surviving guards well into their nineties.
- Earlier reports that an earlier version of the model was used in the successful conviction this year of former SS guard Reinhold Hanning, and it could be used in more than ten pending investigations of still living accomplices.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2016) 'Virtual reality plays its role in convicting Nazi SS guards who killed millions', 311 Institute, 22 November. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/virtual-reality-plays-its-role-in-convicting-nazi-ss-guards-who-killed-millions/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Earlier this month I reported that UK and US prosecutors were looking into using virtual reality (VR) to help convict criminals of historic crimes. Now, in one of the first uses of its kind the Bavarian state crime office in Munich, Germany are using a VR model of the Auschwitz death camp, where millions of Jews were gassed to death, during the trials of dozens of Nazi guards to establish criminal intent - by helping determine what suspects would have seen of the fates of camp inmates.
The model lets investigators “recreate the perspective of a suspect, for example in a watchtower,” according to Ralf Breker, the police digital imaging expert who created the model. In addition to a highly detailed model of the camp, it features mobile avatars of prisoners.
The model was created from a variety of data sources, including surveyor’s maps, building blueprints, more than a thousand photographs, and 3D laser scans of the camp’s surviving structures.
In the postwar period, German prosecutors tasked with convicting war criminals were often stymied by the bureaucratic nature of the Nazi apparatus. It was not until the early 2000s that they began arguing that anyone serving at a camp like Auschwitz was responsible for the killings there. The strategy didn’t have its first success until 2011—and now German authorities regularly prosecute surviving guards well into their nineties.
But even by the most liberal interpretation of the new strategy, experts say those serving at Auschwitz must have known what happened there to be convicted. Viewed on a VR headset such as an HTC Vive, the model of the camp is intended to give prosecutors and judges more insight into defendants’ awareness of their surroundings.
Earlier reports that an earlier version of the model was used in the successful conviction this year of former SS guard Reinhold Hanning, and it could be used in more than ten pending investigations of still living accomplices.
Though it stands to play a role in a relative handful of Auschwitz trials, the model could set a precedent for a broader array of prosecutions.
“In two or three years,” said Breker, "you’ll be able to enter the scene of every serious crime virtually.”
FAQ
Why does this matter?
Criminal convictions, particularly involving historic crimes, are often made or broken on just how well jurors can visualise the scenes of the crimes using second hand evidence, now VR can give them a first person view.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
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Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 22 November 2016. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2016). Virtual reality plays its role in convicting Nazi SS guards who killed millions. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/virtual-reality-plays-its-role-in-convicting-nazi-ss-guards-who-killed-millions/
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