The city of Arrecife started 2026 with 10,137 pending judicial cases, according to data from the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ). This figure represents a significant decrease compared to the 10,788 cases at the end of the previous year. This improvement is largely attributed to a lower influx of new cases, breaking a trend of high case intake over several prior years.
The civil jurisdiction, which now includes 6 judicial bodies after the addition of a new unit last year, saw the largest accumulation of pending cases. 6,379 cases were initiated in this area, although a reduction of several hundred was recorded over the course of the year.
In the criminal jurisdiction, with 6 active bodies, 2026 began with 1,939 pending cases, marking a reduction of nearly five hundred resolved cases.
Conversely, the social and labor domain, comprising two judicial bodies, started the year with 1,819 cases awaiting resolution. This figure saw an increase of nearly five hundred pending cases, showing a trend contrary to that observed in the civil and criminal jurisdictions.
During 2025, a total of 29,553 new cases were opened across the seven municipalities. Of these, 15,475 were criminal, 11,900 civil, and 2,178 social and labor cases. These numbers are lower than in previous periods, which exceeded 30,000 annual cases.
In terms of resolutions, 2025 was particularly significant for the criminal jurisdiction, with 15,465 cases settled. In the civil sphere, 13,156 cases were resolved, and in the social context, judicial bodies in Lanzarote handled the resolution of 1,819 cases. In total, 30,280 judicial resolutions were reached in Arrecife last year.
The current judicial headquarters, the Palace of Justice, opened in 2006, has now completed two decades of service. With a built area of 20,205.14 square meters on a 4,296 square meter plot, it still has space to accommodate new judicial bodies if needed. The initial investment for its construction amounted to 23.8 million euros.
