a spatial history of swedish rural courts A few courthouses also had a larger apartment which the judge could rent. The judge’s accommodation was always on the second floor, while the caretaker’s and clerk’s were in the attic, or in the basement. As for the court’s premises on the ground floor, the most significant change was the greater area now given over to established functions, which were also spatially reorganized. The growing number of administrative tasks, previously handled by the court clerk and the judge either in situor in the judge’s private quarters, now took up a larger section of the building. The judge’s office was still in the least accessible corner of the building and connected to the court clerk’s room and/or the space called the kansli, or registry, which made room for more administrative staff. Finally, the spaces used by the public – and the lay judges, witnesses, and prosecutors, who in the past were put up in small rooms, sometimes in the attic – were larger and more distinct. The most important change was that the passageways had turned into proper corridors and the number of interconnecting rooms decreased. The layouts convey a determination to separate actors and functions, and create a system where different functions could continue separately, without people having to pass through the courtroom. The new courthouses were larger, more complex structures. Now the size and height of a cinema auditorium, the courtroom had been rotated 90 degrees: the main entrance was moved to the short side, while the courtroom now protruded from the rectangular building like a scarsella (Fig. 10.3). The physical distance that separated the audience from the dais had grown substantially. There was no explicit notion or official regulation on furnishings and several variants co-existed, all endeavouring to keep people apart by architectural means. Many courtrooms had two sets of bars along the front of the dais or the court’s table, delimiting the space for the public. Usually, this two-bar solution created an open area like a stage or void in the middle of the room. There were seats for the public, but those seated by the entrance could not hear what was being said on the dais. Members of the lay panel were also placed at a considerable distance from the judge, and considering the poor acoustics and the age of most of the panel, we may question their part in the proceedings. 151
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjYyNDk=