I mainly do the most interesting cases, which the press and people want to see, but can't be photographed out of privacy protection. Normally in such cases the accused is pretty much guilty, so it is the question whether or how to lower the measure of punishment. I always go there with mixed feelings. Normally it is a real documentation of a situation in a space with people in their different roles. The drawing should make the case understandable to the public. I go often into the court and ask myself, who is the criminal? It is not always obvious if the accused is there without hand cuffs, or sitting in another seat than the usual one. Listening to the questions of the judge, I can hear how he or she became what they are, which experiences they had, how these poor guys tick. I often feel sorry for the accused. 99% of the judges do an excellent job, then it is a sensitive inquiry to find out what and why something has happened and went wrong. During the questioning most judges try to make the criminal feel at ease and build up a sort of familiarity. In the end you understand why something has happened against the law and order… For example in the Osterwalder case where the man himself was misused as a child, so he felt it was normal to continue this kind of behavior. When possible I try to see the feet of the accused because they reveal something about the actual state of how they are… Even the others in the room involved too, like the policeman, defender lawyer, witness or state attorney. Some women lawyers have high heeled shoes on and they look like their feet hurt after standing awhile giving their pleading. It seems to be a standard dress code for women working in court. I also like to scan the bodies of the people involved like a seismograph and to perceive the changes of face color or certain movements which reveal a lot about their inner condition. My part is not an identification with the victim, but an understanding. It is like a contract. In the case of the Parkhaus murder in Zurich, I sort of avoided to have eye contact with her. She frightened me because she herself said that she was full of aggression and inner fury and wasn’t sure how she could control herself. She had to wear cuffs on her feet and hands to stay calm. It was a special feeling if you are physically so close to such an accused person, especially that she was a woman.weiterlesen