Community > Crime and Punishment
Crime and Punishment
As in any community, there are some who do not obey the laws and are subject to varying forms of punishment. Norka was no exception.
Given the small size of the community and the strong influence of the church, there was a great deal of social pressure to conform to societal norms.
Russian law stated that people could not be punished for certain crimes without the approval of the church. As a result, many instances of minor misconduct were handled by the pastor of the church who served as both judge and jury.
More serious infractions of the law required a judicial review by local officials, chosen by the community.
George Philip Lehl, who was born in Norka in 1900, recalls that guilt or innocence was determined by three judges (his grandfather served as a judge) and punishment was often administered locally.
Given the small size of the community and the strong influence of the church, there was a great deal of social pressure to conform to societal norms.
Russian law stated that people could not be punished for certain crimes without the approval of the church. As a result, many instances of minor misconduct were handled by the pastor of the church who served as both judge and jury.
More serious infractions of the law required a judicial review by local officials, chosen by the community.
George Philip Lehl, who was born in Norka in 1900, recalls that guilt or innocence was determined by three judges (his grandfather served as a judge) and punishment was often administered locally.
I think they [the judges] were the attorneys and the witnesses and everything - because they had a jail that only held people overnight, they didn't hide the [guilty] man. They took him in the park and invited the public ... and gave him so many licks on the rear-end and then turned him loose. They said, now here is the thief, watch him!
Serious crimes were handled by the Russian authorities in Saratov.
The jail in Norka jail was called the Kalmycken Haus because the first offenders to inhabit the building were allegedly Kalmycks, a nomadic people living in the region.
The jail in Norka jail was called the Kalmycken Haus because the first offenders to inhabit the building were allegedly Kalmycks, a nomadic people living in the region.
Sources
Brill, Conrad. "Memories of Norka." Interview by George Brill. 1-16. Print.
"You know, Garbagemen are the Cleanest People." The Builder [Coos Bay, Oregon], circa 1976.
"You know, Garbagemen are the Cleanest People." The Builder [Coos Bay, Oregon], circa 1976.
Last updated September 17, 2018.