The case in summary: – Police officers, judges and lawyers are asking for a fast-track court to deal with an increasing trend of youth violence, especially in Kristiansand. the reaction will come within weeks instead of months.- The use of fast-track courts for young offenders is now being investigated by the Oslo District Court.- Agder has seen a 40 percent increase in youth crime from 2019 to 2023, and almost half of the cases involving young people have a perpetrator under the age of 15.- In October, the Court Administration was commissioned to investigate the fast-track court for the Oslo district court, and the report must be ready by 20 January 2024.- It is proposed to combine youth punishment with unconditional imprisonment, and the use of custody with ankle chains, to deal with serious and repeated crime among young people. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – We see that it is urgent. It is an explosive development, says district court judge Anita Jarvoll Hekneby in Agder district court. – A group of young people under 18 commits more and more offences. The reactions must come faster, she believes. In the past six months, news has told about a wave of youth violence in Southern Norway and Kristiansand in particular. A gang of girls as young as 13 practiced violence of a caliber that the police called “scary”. Victims were punched, punched and kicked, while the violence was filmed and spread online. Afterwards, we heard from a distraught father who asked for stronger measures from the police. He would like the criminal minimum age to be lowered. SHORT PROCESS: – The goal is a shorter time from offense to reaction, says district court judge Anita Jarvoll Hekneby and permanent defense attorney in Agder district court Lars Ree. Photo: EIRIK DAMSGAARD / news South and North on the crime peak The aim of a fast-track court is for young offenders to quickly receive a sentence and finish their sentence. This may mean that the reaction comes within weeks – and not up to five or six months. These days, the use of fast-track courts for young offenders in Oslo is being investigated. In the last three years, Sørlandet has been hit by a wave of robberies, violence and threats among young people. Agder is in second place in terms of crime statistics, based on the number of people. news has previously reported that Troms and Finnmark – and Oslo – have the greatest increase in youth crime. – The need for a fast-track court is at least as relevant for Agder. Based on population figures, Agder has more cases involving perpetrators under the age of 18 than Oslo, says deputy police chief in Agder Morten Sjustøl. The Agder figures show an increase of 40 per cent from 2019 to 2023. The development in 2023 shows a slight decrease in cases, but a higher proportion of the youngest. – This year we see that almost half of the cases involving young people have perpetrators under the age of 15. This may mean that we are facing a continuing challenge in the future, says the deputy police chief. GOOD IDEA: – The police want faster processing of the cases, says deputy police chief in Agder Morten Sjustøl, who would like to see a fast-track court in place. Photo: eirik damsgaard / news Pilot on expedited court In October, the Court Administration was commissioned to investigate an expedited court for the Oslo district court. The Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness will receive the report on the table by 20 January 2024. The ministry says to news that they will then “take a decision on further follow-up”. In Agder, there is no patience to wait for consultation rounds and new committees. – We want to get started now. We will possibly look at the possibility of creating our own pilot for a fast-track court, based on current legislation, says Jarvoll Hekneby. In that case, it means that the police must investigate more quickly, and that the district court cannot rely on today’s six-week deadline – but clear the calendar for the youngest. Defense attorney Lars Ree assists young people who face the justice system. – A quick process will be able to help many to move on. When many months pass before the reaction comes, it seems the opposite. Like a brake, says Ree. WANT TO HELP: – Young people find it frustrating when time passes in criminal cases, says defense attorney Lars Ree. Photo: eirik damsgaard / news Custody in handcuffs Earlier this autumn, the government came up with a bill that will have a stricter – and faster – response for young people who commit crimes. There, it is possible to combine youth punishment with unconditional imprisonment, and the use of custody with ankle chains. – A few young people commit serious and repeated crime, we must step in to stop this, said Minister of Justice and Emergency Emilie Enger Mehl (Sp). The Justice Committee at the Storting was to submit its recommendation by 28 November. The ongoing fast-track court investigation in Oslo will take over the strictures in the new bill. BEING INVESTIGATED: At the end of January, Minister Emilie Enger Mehl will receive an investigation into the fast-track court in the Oslo District Court. Photo: Patrick da Silva Sæther / news Takes a long time. In Norwegian courts, young people between 15 and 18 can be sentenced to juvenile supervision or juvenile punishment, both of which require consent – and are handled by the conflict councils. But reports show that things take time. “Time use in the criminal case chain” showed that it takes an average of 69 days (2019) from the time a young person is reported to the police until the case has been investigated by the police and assessed by the prosecution. Whether the case went to a court, or came straight from the lawyers in the police – the conflict councils spent an average of 65 days (2019) to initiate a reaction. The Oslo district court analyzed a number of cases in 2019 and determined that it took an average of 286 days from the last offense to the punishment in cases involving young people under 18. The National Audit Office has also been critical of the fact that time passes in criminal cases involving young perpetrators. The main rule is that the district court must hold a trial within six weeks of the prosecution decision, but investigations showed that the deadline was broken in half of the district court cases.
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To fight against the trend of violence – will judge young people more quickly – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
