Juvenile jurors

• At the beginning of the new term of office, they must be at least 25 years old and no more than 69 years old.
• You are a German citizen and speak German fluently.
• You are resident in Erlangen.
• You are exempt from prosecution according to § 32 GVG. Persons who have been disqualified by a court from holding public office or who have been sentenced to more than six months' imprisonment for an intentional offense are not eligible.
• You do not need any previous legal training or education.

• You should have educational experience with adolescents, for example from voluntary work in youth associations, youth welfare and leisure facilities, schools or sports clubs or from training in a company or as a parent in the context of private educational and care activities.
  No particular professional groups are preferred; in general, suitable people from all sections of the population should be considered.
• They should be unprejudiced and capable of making an unbiased, independent judgment.
• They should have knowledge of human nature, social skills and a sense of justice.
• You should be able to follow the content of the consultations. You should also be able to ask good questions, argue and defend your point of view.
• Due to the strenuous nature of the meetings, a good physical condition and resilience are also required.

• Your employer will release you from work for the days of the meeting.
• You will be reimbursed for travel expenses.
• You gain new experiences and get to know a wide variety of people.
• You take on social responsibility.
• You gain access to the practice of law.

You do not receive any remuneration for serving as a youth court judge. However, you will receive compensation in accordance with the Judicial Remuneration and Compensation Act (JVEG) for any disadvantages incurred as a result of your work.

You will receive compensation for travel expenses in accordance with § 5 Para. 2 No. 2 JVEG: €0.42 for each kilometer driven by car and €7.00 per hour if you miss time in accordance with § 16 JVEG.

Compensation for persons who run their own household for several persons in accordance with §17 JVEG: €17.00 per hour.

Loss of earnings according to §18 JVEG (standard rate): up to €29.00 per hour.

Loss of earnings (increased rate): €55.00. This applies if you have been on duty for more than 20 days in the same proceedings or if you have been on duty for at least six days within 30 days.

Loss of earnings (maximum rate): € 73.00 for work on more than 50 days in one procedure.

The application deadline for the term of office from 01.01.2024 to 31.12.2028 has expired.
If you meet the above requirements and are interested in serving as a youth welfare officer, you can apply to the Erlangen Youth Welfare Office in 2028. To do so, please send the completed application form to the City Youth Welfare Office Erlangen, attn. Ms. Kratz, Rathausplatz 1, 91052 Erlangen or by e-mail to stadtjugendamt@stadt.erlangen.de.

If you have any questions, please contact the Erlangen Youth Welfare Office on 09131 86-3327 or -2844.

If you are interested in being a lay assessor in adult criminal law, you can find further information on the lay assessor's office and the application procedure here.

The Youth Welfare Office of the City of Erlangen is commissioned by the District Court of Nuremberg-Fürth to draw up a list of nominees for juvenile lay judges. For the term of office 2024 - 2028, the Youth Welfare Office of the City of Erlangen must propose at least 36 persons to the Erlangen District Court. This list of proposals is presented to the Youth Welfare Committee and approved. The list of nominees must then be made available for inspection at the Youth Welfare Office for one week. The persons to be included are informed separately about the intended inclusion as well as the reasons for obstruction and refusal. Objections to the list of nominees may be lodged in writing or on record at the Youth Welfare Office within one week of the end of the period for inspection, stating the reasons.

The independent jury election committee of the Erlangen district court then selects the required youth lay judges from the list of proposals of the youth welfare office and decides who will serve at the district or regional court and who will serve as the main lay judge or substitute lay judge for the next term of office.

The application period for the next term of office from 01.01.2024 to 31.12.2028 is closed.

The term of office is 5 years. Principal aldermen generally have no more than 12 ordinary sessions per year.

The dates are set in advance for the entire year.

No, to be a juvenile court judge, you must be resident in Erlangen at the beginning of the future election period.
Interested parties residing outside Erlangen can apply to the youth welfare office responsible for their place of residence. The juvenile jury elections take place simultaneously in all municipalities and districts for the respective terms of office.

The independent election committee of the Erlangen Local Court selects the youth jury members. You will be notified by the local court afterwards.
Candidates who are not elected are not notified separately by the local court.

The Youth Welfare Office does not receive any information about the election results.

The office of juvenile lay assessor may be held indefinitely, even after having served in the two previous electoral periods.

Principal lay assessors are summoned directly to the respective court hearing. For this purpose, a written summons is issued for the hearing, which can also be issued verbally for continuation hearings.

Substitute lay judges are called upon if the main lay judges are unavailable. They therefore initially have no fixed dates and are summoned at short notice if there is no other option.

Yes!
As a lay assessor, you have an equal say in the main hearing in criminal cases. Your vote counts, just like that of the professional judge.