Explaining gendered sentencing patterns for Norwegian Red Cross nurses on trial in the Norwegian treason trials, 1945-1953

• In Event: Adjudication: pleas, courts and sentencing

Abstract

This research examines how gender impacted the sentencing process of Red Cross nurses on trial in the Norwegian treason trials (1945-1953). The Norwegian treason trials were the most comprehensive criminal justice process in Europe after the Second World War, resulting in many national debates including on the sentencing of Norwegian nurses who volunteered to serve as part of the German Red Cross between 1942-1945. Studies on gendered sentencing have found that females benefit from their gender in sentencing decisions, but to what extent this is the case depends on the crime type. Few researchers, if any, have analysed how gender impacted the treason sentencing process of this sub-group of Norwegian nurses. In response, this study explores the gendered context and gender biases by using a targeted sample of Norwegian nurses’ trial cases from the Treason Archive, placed in the National Archives of Norway. The findings show a gendered duality in their sentencing, because their gender impacted both towards more lenient and harsher sentencing decisions. This article aims to apply gendered perspectives to advance our knowledge about this contested group of nurses and by doing so, contribute to fill-in an existing gap in the literature.

Author

• Lilli Mathilde Sofie Wolland Blomberg, The University of Edinburgh, school of law