Law and Order in Skara Brae
Mar 4, 2015 21:53:27 GMT -5
Gillian Wilkins, Garnet, and 1 more like this
Post by Deraj on Mar 4, 2015 21:53:27 GMT -5
For the purpose of facilitating a means to arrest other players, put them in jail, and try them in a court in a way that minimizes any impediments to everyone's enjoyment of the game, the laws of Skara Brae have been created to add a new dimension to the roleplay. I am writing this so that we can all have an understanding of how this should work, and for anyone outside of the guild so that they can know what they are getting into if they wish to participate.
The Laws
-The laws are signed off on by the Governor of Skara Brae. The Governor can remove laws or create laws as they see fit.
-The Governor appoints judges that are responsible for overseeing trials. The Governor can also appoint judges for specific cases.
-The Governor, or a judge, or the established town guard can issue warrants for arrest.
Arrests
-If a character is arrested, that character will be searched while being processed. This means all weapons, armor, spellbooks, and means of transport will be removed in an IC sense, meaning they remain with the player but cannot be used.
-Character and crime information will be written in the prison log. Including name, crime, time of arrest.
Incarceration
-For the sake of keeping things moving along, a trial date should be set within a week of arrest. The exception to this is if the jailed character is a throwaway or upon mutual agreement of the players.
-If the character is convicted, the punishment can, depending on the crime, go from a few days to months. Once the time is served, the player can leave on their own, unless they wish to RP it out with a ranger.
-Breaking out of jail can occur under two circumstances. One, an assault on the jail, and two, mutual agreement between players that establish a reason for escape. Generally speaking, escape should not be a common occurrence.
The Law of Skara Brae
I. Preamble
By the Order of the Governor of Skara Brae, the city of Skara Brae and all territory under its jurisdiction is hereby subject to its Law set forth by the power of the Office of the Governor, in order to secure its people from threat to life and property, and to provide for its people a fair and just means to answer to allegations of wrongdoing.
Signed,
Governor Xuri Himura of Skara Brae
II. Right of Trial
A. Principles of Trial. To protect the citizen from offense of both peer and government, the accused shall have the right to stand in judgement before a court.
i. The Judge, appointed by the Governor of Skara Brae or sanctioned by the Royal Crown, shall oversee all proceedings and pass judgement for lesser offenses.
ii. A Jury of Peers, appointed by the judge, shall determine guilt of the defendant for severe offenses.
iii. A Prosecutor, fulfilled by any citizen of Skara Brae that brings charges against another before a judge, shall prosecute the defendant under the law.
iv. The Prosecution and Defense shall both be given their time to make an opening statement, present their evidence, question each witness, and to make a closing statement.
B. Hearings shall take place under the following circumstances.
i. Should the Governor's Office of Skara Brae fail to prosecute the accused within two weeks of detainment, a hearing shall be ordered to determine further course of action.
ii. Should the Prosecutor order a public questioning of witnesses for the matter of public record.
C. Trials by Judge shall be held for crimes of a less severe nature.
i. All evidence and testimony shall be weighed by a judge.
ii. Punishment shall be determined by a judge, in accordance with the law.
D. Trials by Jury shall be held for crimes of a more severe nature.
i. All evidence and testimony shall be weighed by a jury of three.
ii. Punishment shall be determined by a judge, in accordance with the law.
iii. Guilt shall be determined by majority vote of the jury.
E. In all legal matters, the Defendant shall be given the right to appoint a defense representative.
i. The City of Skara Brae shall not be required to provide legal defense.
III. Criminal Code
A. Murder
i. Murder shall be defined as the premeditated or intended destruction of another life without Just Cause.
ii. Just Cause for the destruction of another life shall include, but is not limited to, the defense of oneself or the defense of others.
iii. Allegations of murder shall be determined in a Trial by Jury.
iv. Punishment for murder shall be no less than six months incarceration, and up to life in prison or death, based upon the severity of the crimes.
B. Assault
i. Assault shall be defined as the use of physical force against another without Just Cause.
ii. Just Cause for the use of physical force against another shall include, but is not limited to, the defense of oneself, the defense of others, or the enforcement of law by the authority of Skara Brae.
iii. Allegations of assault shall be determined in a Trial by Judge.
iv. Punishment for assault shall be no less than one week incarceration, and up to three months, based upon the severity of the crimes.
C. Theft
i. Theft shall be defined as taking of another's property by force or threat of force without Just Cause.
ii. Just Cause for the use of taking of another's property by force or threat of force shall include, but is not limited to, for matter's concerning the government.
iii. Allegations of theft shall be determined in a Trial by Judge.
iv. Punishment for theft shall be no less than three days incarceration, and up to one month, based upon the severity of the crimes.less than three days incarceration, and up to one month, based upon the severity of the crimes.
D. Unlawful Detainment
i. Unlawful Detainment shall be defined as detainment of any individual within the city of Skara Brae or its territories without official authorization as defined in Article IV, Statute B.
ii. Allegations of Unlawful Detainment shall be determined in a Trial by Judge.
iii. Punishment for unlawful detainment shall be no less than four days incarceration, and up to seven days, based upon the severity of the crimes.
E. Assault on an Officer of the Law
i. Assault on an Officer shall be defined as any use of physical force against an authorized Officer of the Law as defined in Article IV, Statute B.
ii. Punishment for assault on an officer shall be no less than one week incarceration, and up to three months.
F. Breach of Banishment
i. Breach of Banishment shall be defined as any unauthorized access to Skara Brae or its surrounding territories by a banished individual as defined by Article IV, Statute C.
ii. Temporary permission may be granted by the Governor or any authorized Officer of the Law.
iii. Punishment for breach of banishment shall result in a public flogging with no less than 10 lashes, and up to 20 lashes depending on the severity of the crimes.
IV. Statutes
A. Vampirism
i. All individuals inflicted with the curse of vampirism are considered inhuman and monstrous by the city of Skara Brae.
ii. No vampire shall be permitted to live in or around the city of Skara Brae or its surrounding territory.
iii. Any individual, once adequately identified as being afflicted with the curse of vampirism, shall be subject to immediate death by every method known and presently available for exterminating vampires.
B. Authorized Officers of the Law
i. No individual shall be permitted to execute the law except under the conditions of this statute.
ii. The officer must be a citizen of Skara Brae.
iii. The officer must be a sworn member of the Royal Guard.
iv. The officer's actions must be in accordance with the law and not condemned by the Governor of Skara Brae.
C. Banishment
i. The Governor of Skara Brae shall reserve the right to banish any individual, citizen or not, that threatens the safety and civility of Skara Brae.
ii. Banished individuals shall be denied access to the city of Skara Brae and all of its territories.
D. Retroactivity
i. All Laws and Statues can, by discretion of the Governor, be applied retroactively for the security of community.
E. Unliving Creatures
i. Any entity consisting of the reanimated remains of a human or animal that has passed the threshold of death, or any non-corporeal entity of a malevolent and destructive nature, is to be considered an undead, or unliving, monstrosity by the city of Skara Brae.
ii. The presence of an undead monstrosity, regardless of appearances or outward behavior, is considered to be a threat to the city of Skara Brae and her people.
ii. Any subject of the kingdom within the jurisdiction of the city of Skara Brae and its surrounding territory, shall be permitted to cull, exterminate, terminate, annihilate, eradicate, purge, cleanse, pulverize, liquidate, snuff, stamp out, exorcise, or obliterate any undead monstrosity found intruding upon the city's jurisdiction.
The Laws
-The laws are signed off on by the Governor of Skara Brae. The Governor can remove laws or create laws as they see fit.
-The Governor appoints judges that are responsible for overseeing trials. The Governor can also appoint judges for specific cases.
-The Governor, or a judge, or the established town guard can issue warrants for arrest.
Arrests
-If a character is arrested, that character will be searched while being processed. This means all weapons, armor, spellbooks, and means of transport will be removed in an IC sense, meaning they remain with the player but cannot be used.
-Character and crime information will be written in the prison log. Including name, crime, time of arrest.
Incarceration
-For the sake of keeping things moving along, a trial date should be set within a week of arrest. The exception to this is if the jailed character is a throwaway or upon mutual agreement of the players.
-If the character is convicted, the punishment can, depending on the crime, go from a few days to months. Once the time is served, the player can leave on their own, unless they wish to RP it out with a ranger.
-Breaking out of jail can occur under two circumstances. One, an assault on the jail, and two, mutual agreement between players that establish a reason for escape. Generally speaking, escape should not be a common occurrence.
The Law of Skara Brae
I. Preamble
By the Order of the Governor of Skara Brae, the city of Skara Brae and all territory under its jurisdiction is hereby subject to its Law set forth by the power of the Office of the Governor, in order to secure its people from threat to life and property, and to provide for its people a fair and just means to answer to allegations of wrongdoing.
Signed,
Governor Xuri Himura of Skara Brae
II. Right of Trial
A. Principles of Trial. To protect the citizen from offense of both peer and government, the accused shall have the right to stand in judgement before a court.
i. The Judge, appointed by the Governor of Skara Brae or sanctioned by the Royal Crown, shall oversee all proceedings and pass judgement for lesser offenses.
ii. A Jury of Peers, appointed by the judge, shall determine guilt of the defendant for severe offenses.
iii. A Prosecutor, fulfilled by any citizen of Skara Brae that brings charges against another before a judge, shall prosecute the defendant under the law.
iv. The Prosecution and Defense shall both be given their time to make an opening statement, present their evidence, question each witness, and to make a closing statement.
B. Hearings shall take place under the following circumstances.
i. Should the Governor's Office of Skara Brae fail to prosecute the accused within two weeks of detainment, a hearing shall be ordered to determine further course of action.
ii. Should the Prosecutor order a public questioning of witnesses for the matter of public record.
C. Trials by Judge shall be held for crimes of a less severe nature.
i. All evidence and testimony shall be weighed by a judge.
ii. Punishment shall be determined by a judge, in accordance with the law.
D. Trials by Jury shall be held for crimes of a more severe nature.
i. All evidence and testimony shall be weighed by a jury of three.
ii. Punishment shall be determined by a judge, in accordance with the law.
iii. Guilt shall be determined by majority vote of the jury.
E. In all legal matters, the Defendant shall be given the right to appoint a defense representative.
i. The City of Skara Brae shall not be required to provide legal defense.
III. Criminal Code
A. Murder
i. Murder shall be defined as the premeditated or intended destruction of another life without Just Cause.
ii. Just Cause for the destruction of another life shall include, but is not limited to, the defense of oneself or the defense of others.
iii. Allegations of murder shall be determined in a Trial by Jury.
iv. Punishment for murder shall be no less than six months incarceration, and up to life in prison or death, based upon the severity of the crimes.
B. Assault
i. Assault shall be defined as the use of physical force against another without Just Cause.
ii. Just Cause for the use of physical force against another shall include, but is not limited to, the defense of oneself, the defense of others, or the enforcement of law by the authority of Skara Brae.
iii. Allegations of assault shall be determined in a Trial by Judge.
iv. Punishment for assault shall be no less than one week incarceration, and up to three months, based upon the severity of the crimes.
C. Theft
i. Theft shall be defined as taking of another's property by force or threat of force without Just Cause.
ii. Just Cause for the use of taking of another's property by force or threat of force shall include, but is not limited to, for matter's concerning the government.
iii. Allegations of theft shall be determined in a Trial by Judge.
iv. Punishment for theft shall be no less than three days incarceration, and up to one month, based upon the severity of the crimes.less than three days incarceration, and up to one month, based upon the severity of the crimes.
D. Unlawful Detainment
i. Unlawful Detainment shall be defined as detainment of any individual within the city of Skara Brae or its territories without official authorization as defined in Article IV, Statute B.
ii. Allegations of Unlawful Detainment shall be determined in a Trial by Judge.
iii. Punishment for unlawful detainment shall be no less than four days incarceration, and up to seven days, based upon the severity of the crimes.
E. Assault on an Officer of the Law
i. Assault on an Officer shall be defined as any use of physical force against an authorized Officer of the Law as defined in Article IV, Statute B.
ii. Punishment for assault on an officer shall be no less than one week incarceration, and up to three months.
F. Breach of Banishment
i. Breach of Banishment shall be defined as any unauthorized access to Skara Brae or its surrounding territories by a banished individual as defined by Article IV, Statute C.
ii. Temporary permission may be granted by the Governor or any authorized Officer of the Law.
iii. Punishment for breach of banishment shall result in a public flogging with no less than 10 lashes, and up to 20 lashes depending on the severity of the crimes.
IV. Statutes
A. Vampirism
i. All individuals inflicted with the curse of vampirism are considered inhuman and monstrous by the city of Skara Brae.
ii. No vampire shall be permitted to live in or around the city of Skara Brae or its surrounding territory.
iii. Any individual, once adequately identified as being afflicted with the curse of vampirism, shall be subject to immediate death by every method known and presently available for exterminating vampires.
B. Authorized Officers of the Law
i. No individual shall be permitted to execute the law except under the conditions of this statute.
ii. The officer must be a citizen of Skara Brae.
iii. The officer must be a sworn member of the Royal Guard.
iv. The officer's actions must be in accordance with the law and not condemned by the Governor of Skara Brae.
C. Banishment
i. The Governor of Skara Brae shall reserve the right to banish any individual, citizen or not, that threatens the safety and civility of Skara Brae.
ii. Banished individuals shall be denied access to the city of Skara Brae and all of its territories.
i. All Laws and Statues can, by discretion of the Governor, be applied retroactively for the security of community.
E. Unliving Creatures
i. Any entity consisting of the reanimated remains of a human or animal that has passed the threshold of death, or any non-corporeal entity of a malevolent and destructive nature, is to be considered an undead, or unliving, monstrosity by the city of Skara Brae.
ii. The presence of an undead monstrosity, regardless of appearances or outward behavior, is considered to be a threat to the city of Skara Brae and her people.
ii. Any subject of the kingdom within the jurisdiction of the city of Skara Brae and its surrounding territory, shall be permitted to cull, exterminate, terminate, annihilate, eradicate, purge, cleanse, pulverize, liquidate, snuff, stamp out, exorcise, or obliterate any undead monstrosity found intruding upon the city's jurisdiction.