From deterrent through fear to rehabilitation
Sentencing for theft and murder from the 13th century to now
1274
Magnus Lagabøtes law is the first nationwide law in Norway.
1290
Alv Erlingsson is convicted of piracy. He’s executed by breaking wheel.
Did you know…
Breaking wheel: the convicted person is bound to a wheel or braided into the wheel’s wooden spokes. Arms and legs are then crushed with a club. Once the person is near death, they are erected on a pole and exhibited as a deterrent to crime.
1683
Samson Øvrevåg is convicted of arson in Hordaland, where 6 people died. He’s executed by his heart being cut out of his chest.
1687
Kong Christian Vs law, also known as Norske lov, takes effect.
1693
Syrval Pedersen from Lofoten is convicted for theft of stockfish. He’s sentenced to whipping and branding.
1727
Anne Lisbet Hansdatter is convicted for theft in Akershus. She’s sentenced to the pillory spansk fedel, which she has to wear for four hours daily, for three days.
1759
Ola Larsen Åserudstuen is convicted of premeditated murder and is beheaded by axe. On the way to the execution site, Ola is pinched with glowing warm pliers. His right hand is cut off before his execution.
1763
Marthe Hansdatter is convicted of murdering her newborn. She’s executed by beheading with sword.
1785
Ole Jonsen Buset is convicted of theft. He’s sentenced to whipping, forehead branding, and lifelong forced labor.
Food for thought…
What consequences do you think branding has for the convicted person’s social life?
1789
Decree of theft: Branding and whipping are, by royal decree, replaced with forced labor.
1842
The Criminal Code replaces Norske lov — pillory and whipping are abolished. The Penal Code fixes the age of criminal responsibility to 10 years old.
1848
Ole Høiland is convicted of theft. He’s sentenced to whipping and forced labor in chains.
1849
Maren Jektvik is convicted for the murder of her husband at Dolmøya. She’s executed by beheading.
Did you know…
The large axe exhibited on the second floor of Slaveriet, was used for the final time during Maren’s execution.
1902
The death penalty for civilian offences in peacetime is abolished in the Penal Code.
The age of criminal responsibility rises to 14 years old.
1932
A gang of boys are caught using explosives to break into a candy factory in Trondheim. Two of the boys are sentenced to prison, while the third boy — out at sea — escapes conviction.
1941
The government-in-exile, Nygaardsvold, reestablishes the death penalty.
1943
Two members of the Rinnan-gang murders a man they happened upon, near Bispehaugen school in Trondheim. The case is dismissed by the police once they learn that part of the Rinnan-group is behind the attack.
1944
Severin Elias Aamaas is convicted for stealing explosives in Ålesund. He’s sentenced to 8 months in prison. The Quisling-government consider the theft political resistance, and Aamaas is therefore sent to Falstad prison camp.
1947
During the post-war legal purge of Norway, Henry Rinnan is convicted for 13 murders, torture, and treason. He’s executed by firing squad by Kristiansten fortress in Trondheim.
1974
Otto (14) is convicted for the theft of 60 cars in Østlandet. He’s sentenced to 11 weeks of preventive detention.
1978
The White Paper on Crime declares for the first time that a person does not lose civil rights when convicted of a crime. Civil rights may include voting rights, the right to privacy, and freedom of action.
Miscarriage of justice. Fritz Moen is convicted for two murders in Trondheim. He’s sentenced to 21 years in prison, with 10 years of added security measures. Moen is exonerated for one murder in 2004, and the other in 2006. The latter is after his death in 2005.
1979
The death penalty is abolished in military law.
1981
Life in prison is abolished in the Penal Code. Now the longest possible sentence is 21 years. The sentence can rise to a maximum of 30 years, in special cases.
Did you know
The maximum sentence is given for the first time in 2024, when Zaniar Matapour is convicted for a terrorist attack in Oslo, 2022. He’s sentenced to 30 years in prison.
1983
The nurse Arnfinn Nesset is convicted for 22 murders at a nursing home in Orkdal. He’s sentenced to 21 years in prison, with 10 years of added security measures.
1994
Miscarriage of justice. Three boys aged 4, 5, and 6 are accused of murder in Tiller, Trondheim. The case is dismissed as the boys are minors. Two of the boys are placed in foster homes. Following a recent reopening of the case, the boys are declared innocent in 2023.
Pål Enger is convicted for the theft of Munch’s Scream from the National Gallery in Oslo. He’s sentenced to 6 years and 3 months in prison.
Did you know…
Scream gets stolen again ten years later, in 2004. Three people are convicted for it. Stian Skjold is sentenced to 5 years and 6 months in prison, and Bjørn Hoen to 2 years and 6 months. Petter Tharaldsen receives a combined sentence for participation in another robbery and is sentenced to 9 years and 6 months in prison.
2007
The NOKAS-robbery: Norges Bank’s location in Stavanger is robbed of more than 57,4 million Norwegian crowns. A total of 13 people are convicted for participating. The shortest sentence is 4 years in prison and the longest is 18 years. Kjell Alrich Schumann is additionally sentenced to 16 years preventive detention for the murder of a police officer. The money is never found.
2012
Anders Behring Breivik is convicted for a terrorist attack in 2011, when 77 people were murdered. He’s sentenced to 21 years preventive detention.
2014
Juvenile punishment is adopted for youth between ages 15 to 18, as an alternative to custodial sentences for serious or repeated crimes.
2015
Girl (15) is convicted of murder in Asker. She’s sentenced to 9 years preventive detention.
2023
Gutt (14) murders a man in Bærum. He’s forcibly placed in an institution managed by the Norwegian Child Welfare Services.
Food for thought…
What happens to children who commit murder when they are too young to be convicted?
2024
Boy (16) is convicted for seven Vipps-robberies in Oslo. He’s sentenced to 6 months in prison, with two years of juvenile punishment.
