– It’s about legal certainty and getting a fair verdict. Then it’s something we have to take seriously, says mayor of Midt-Telemark, Siri Blichfeldt Dyrland. news has previously reported that the ordinary people who judge in Norwegian court cases are older, richer and more “Norwegian” than most people. Midt-Telemark is among the municipalities where the difference is greatest. The co-judges in Midt-Telemark are 14 years older than the part of the population in the municipality who can be co-judges. And they earn almost NOK 300,000 more on average. – I don’t think it’s right. It is a sign that we must do a better job in the next round of elections, says Dyrland. Check your municipality further down in the matter. This is how we have calculated the differences In order to get an overview of how representative the co-judges are in the various municipalities in the country, we have used the following method: We have calculated the median income for the co-judges in the municipality (median value is the middle value in a data material). The median income is compared with the median income of the population between 21 and 70 in the same municipality (this is the population that can become co-judges). The figures for both co-judges and the population are taken from the tax lists for 2021. We have also calculated the median year of birth for the co-judges in the municipality. This is compared to the median year of birth for the population between 21 and 70 in the municipality, taken from the tax lists. Median income and year of birth for the co-judges in the municipality are then compared with corresponding values for the population in the same municipality in the age group 21 to 70. For Midt-Telemark municipality, we have also calculated how much the co-judges in the municipality earn on average, and compared this with the average income for the population between 21 and 70 in the municipality. This has been done in order to be able to compare with the survey we have carried out for the whole country, where we have also used average figures for income. 9,000 judges Through several cases, news has told how the fellow judges in Norway are different from the population they are supposed to represent. We have analyzed 9,000 judgments, and among other things found this: The analysis also shows that a different outcome would have been obtained in a number of court cases if the composition of co-judges had been more representative. For example, those who earn the least and those who have a background other than Norwegian will more often have a lighter sentence than those who earn well and those who have a Norwegian background. And the youngest are much more often stricter in cases involving sexual offenses and traffic than the older ones. Check whether the co-judges in your municipality are representative The co-judges in the municipalities are ranked as representative, unrepresentative or very unrepresentative. This means the results The categories are based on the difference between age and income among the co-judges in the municipality and the rest of the population in the same municipality. The combination of the difference in age and the difference in income determines which category the co-judges end up in: Representative means that there is little difference. Not representative can mean, for example, that the difference in salary is more than 100,000 and the difference in age is more than 4 years. Or the opposite, that the difference in age is more than 8 years while the difference in salary is more than 50,000. Very unrepresentative can mean, for example, that the difference in salary is more than 200,000 and the difference in age is more than 12 years. – Not everyone says yes In Midt-Telemark, the election board has faced challenges, including when they have tried to recruit younger people, says mayor Siri Blichfeldt Dyrland. – Not everyone agrees to be a co-judge. We have to see if we can find methods to find more people who can help to reflect the population in the municipality. In Siljan municipality, on the other hand, they have had no problems getting people to stand up. The municipality is among the most representative in the country. Here, the co-judges are, so to speak, exactly the same as a cross-section of the population in the municipality in terms of age and income. Mayor of Siljan, Elisabeth Hammer, hopes for an equally representative selection after this year’s election. Photo: John-André Samuelsen / news – It is very good that we are representative. It is extremely important, says Mayor Elisabeth Hammer. The municipality was keen to bring in young people the last time there was an election for co-judges. People got in touch when they posted information on the municipal website and on Facebook, says Hammer. She has been a co-judge herself, and believes the job is important and exciting. – This is the opportunity we have to help influence our legal system.
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Co-judges in Midt-Telemark are among the least representative in the country – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
