A Hajdú-Bihar Megyei Levéltár évkönyve 19. 1992 (Debrecen, 1992)

Balogh István tiszteletére - Nagy Sándor: A hajdúkerületi törvényszék büntető ítéletei

CRIMINAL JURISDICTION AT THE HAJDÚ DISTRICT LAW-COURT IN

1757—1850

(by) Sándor Nagy

In 1757 Queen Maria Theresa withdrew „jus gladii" (the power oi life and death) from the six Hajdú towns, namely, Böszörmény, Nánás, Dorog, Hadház, Szoboszló and Vámospércs, which they had practiced since 1613 and conferred it to their joint representational institution, the Hajdú District (Assembly), called „Hajdúkerület”. This meant that the trying of serious crimes deserving capital punishment fell under authority of the District General Assembly.

Criminal investigations continued to be carried out by local councils, but charges were brought against deliquents by the District Attorney, on the basis of which the assembly brought in a verdict. The present study outlines order and structure of passing a judgement and the way verdicts were brought in. It also lists principal and secondary penalties imposed by the assembly.

From 1757 to 1850, 9605 defendants were brought to court 70 of whom were sentenced to death. Only 7 of them were actually executed as the others’ sentences were relieved to imprisonment either by the Court of Appeal or by the mercy of the Sovereing. Otherwise, the assembly sentenced defendants to shorter or longer periods of imprisonment or to corporal punishment according to the gravity of their crime, the latter involving whipping („botozás” — beating with a stick) for men lashing for women and birching for minors.

The statistical table showing the severity of punishments proves that jurisdiction of the assembly was veil-balanced and free from extremes.

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