Space Law

Space Law is a broad set of rules and regulations, collected and regulated by TerraGov, enacted and enforced by NanoTrasen and its Station Security, with the oversight of CentCom - and, on occasion, TerraGov's Galactic Police Force. Space Law applies to all ranks and positions on stations under its jurisdiction, from the lowliest Passenger to the highest Captain; all are equal under the eyes of the Law, and all must ultimately answer to it.

It is highly recommended to read the Standard Operating Procedures. Summaries of several pertinent sections are listed below.

• Controlled Items: If a member of station crew requires access to a Controlled Item for use in their job, or for regular function, they must obtain the signed and stamped approval of a relevant member of Station Command or the CO. The latter is able to override the decisions of Station Command in this regard, however.
• Sophonts & Synthetics: Sophonts are entities are able to utilize a structured language, communicate through the use of written, verbal, and/or body language (or by other means), and possess reasoning and introspection. Sophonts are legal persons, able to press charges under Space Law, and can be victims of certain crimes that specify sophont status. An entity's status as a sophont may be challenged during legal proceedings; the Defense and/or Prosecution must present evidence arguing that it meets, or does not meet, the criteria established above. The Judge will then arbitrate on the entity's status. Any synthetic, sillicon, or nonorganic entity with non-sophont status is to be considered a Synthetic. Synthetics are the property of the entity that constructs or employs them, unless otherwise stated. Damage or destruction of such Synthetics is considered vandalism of the entity's property.
• Security Jurisdiction: Station law enforcement officers are bound by Space Law; they cannot operate outside of standard accessible areas, or perform searches, unless such action is allowed by either Alert Procedure or a valid warrant.
• Detainment & Arrest: Members of law enforcement may detain sophonts under Probable Cause of criminal activity. These detainees must be informed of the crime they are suspected of committing, and may be moved to a secure location and/or restrained while law enforcement determine if a crime was committed. Such detention should last no longer than five minutes. Any sophont may be arrested, during which they are restrained, informed of their charges, and taken to the brig for search and processing under Brig Procedure.
• Sentencing: Any member of law enforcement is allowed to pass sentence on Misdemeanor, Felony, and Grand Felony charges. The Prosecutor is allowed to adjust such sentences, within reason.
• Treatment of Prisoners: Prisoners must be provided with food, water, clothing, free movement within the brig, adequate medical care, access to the Common and Prison radio channels, and moral, spiritual, or legal counseling if requested and available. If the brig becomes uninhabitable, prisoners must be securely and safely relocated to another area until the brig is functional once more. Prisoners sentenced to Extended Confinement have additional rights and firmer restrictions that must be upheld by law enforcement officials.
• Paroles & Pardons: Parole may be offered under the discretion of the Warden, Head of Security, or CO. A parole hearing requires only a Judge, as discussed within Trial Procedure. Pardons may be issued by the arresting officer, the Judge of a trial, by the Warden (to those within the permanent brig), or by the CO, when deemed in the best interest of the crew or vessel, or when the circumstances of the crime warrant suspension of sentence.
• Pressing Charges: Any sophont may press charges against any other sophont. Individuals may only be charged with a crime if it can be proveny beyond reasonable doubt that they have committed the crime.
• Trial Procedure: A criminal trial’s Judge must be, in sequential order: The Chief Justice, the Court Clerk, an impartial member of Justice or Station Command, or the Warden. The Prosecution should ideally be the Prosecutor, or an available member of Station Command or Station Security in that order. The Defense should ideally be a member of the Justice department assigned to the defendant, though they are allowed to represent themselves if they wish. If insufficient crew are available, the Judge is fully authorized and strongly encouraged to pass a sentence of Extended Confinement until a proper trial can be held.
• Alert Procedure: Codes Blue, Red, Gamma, and Delta suspend the right to individual privacy, allowing warrantless search. The latter three codes allow for departmental raids, and the latter two place the station in martial law. These codes also authorize Security to carry progressively more advanced firearms, and loosen Rules of Engagement regarding their use.

Crime Codes Quick Reference

Use this to quickly find the Crime Code Numbers.

Crime codes are organized into four Category Codes (_XX) as listed below, with the most severe crimes being given the highest Severity Codes (x__). The sentencing officer or Judge should use discretion, and not charge an entity with two similar crimes for a singular offense.

For example, an attack upon a sophont which causes them to die of their injuries is Murder, not Assault AND Murder. Likewise, an entity should not be charged for both Possession AND Grand Possession on a singular Controlled Item held without proper authorization.

Code	1XX - Misdemeanor	2XX - Felony	3XX- Grand Felony	4XX - Capital
01	Animal Cruelty	Assault	Manslaughter	Murder
02	Harassment	Breaking and Entering	Kidnapping	Terrorism
03	Vigilantism	Rioting	Grand Possession	Grand Sabotage
04	Petty Larceny	Endangerment	Mindbreaking	Prevention of Revival
05	Trespass	Possession	Sabotage	Breach of Custody
06	Vandalism	Obstruction of Justice	Abuse of Power
07	Hooliganism	Perjury	Grand Larceny
08		Contempt of Court	Black Marketeering
09		Identity Theft

Sentences

Capital

Capital Sentences are organized in order of severity, with the least severe last. Execution should be utilized as an absolute last resort, for criminals whose crimes are extraordinarily cruel, or who prove impossible to confine through less restrictive means.

• Execution: Termination of the convict's life.
  • Whenever any execution is performed, for any reason, a general announcement must be made stating who was executed, and for what reason.
  • The convict may either face execution by firing squad, by lethal electrocution, by being ejected from the station via an airlock (being "spaced"), or by a method of their choosing, at the Judge's sole discretion.
  • If recoverable, their remains must either be cremated, processed via the biomass reclaimer, or stored in the morgue.
• Decorporealization: Stripping the convict's mind from their body into a more restrictive form, such as a cyborg or soul gem.
• Preservative Stasis: Relocation of the convict into a morgue or similar controlled and regulated environment until one's sentence is concluded, or until the legal system can accomodate the convict.
• Exfiltration: Immediate retrieval of the convict via a CentComm or GALPOL prison transport.
  • The prisoner may be held within the permanent brig until the transport arrives.
  • If transport cannot be arranged, default to other capital sentences.
• Extended Confinement: Placing the convict into the Permanent Brig until the end of the shift, where they are to be transported to Central Command for processing.
  • The convict has the same rights as any other prisoner within the Permanent Brig, whether they arrived by transport or were sentenced to Extended Confinement.

Standard

• Brigging: Placing the convict into a temporary holding cell.
• Catch & Release: Taking the convict to Security, processing them, searching them, and then releasing them.
• Demotion: Downgrading the convict’s employment contract and revoking their access accordingly, with permission from or when ordered by the convict’s head of department. May be applied when the convict has committed a crime relating to their employment within their department or with NanoTrasen as a whole.
• Licence restriction: Downgrading or suspending the convict’s armament licence and confiscating possessions accordingly. May be applied when the convict is guilty of possession or a crime involving a weapon they were lawfully permitted to carry.
• Mindbreaking: Removal of the convict’s psionic power by use of mindbreaker toxin or any other means. May be applied when the convict is guilty of a crime in which they use psionics.

Crime Modifiers

Sentencing modifiers are to be applied by the sentencing officer, judge, or arbiter. Aggravating modifiers may not extend a sentence beyond the specified limit, while extenuating modifiers may not reduce a sentence below the specified limit.

Aggravating

• Solicitation
  • Any sophont found guilty of encouraging, bribing, requesting, or instructing someone to commit a crime, with the intent that the sophont being solicited commit the crime, will receive for the crimes they solicited in full.
• Accessory
  • Any sophont found guilty of assisting in the commission of a crime, without participating in the crime itself, knowing that a crime will be, has been, or is being committed, will receive the sentence for the crimes in which they took part in full.
• Attempts
  • Any sophont found guilty of attempting to commit a crime, with the intent to carry out that crime, will receive the sentence for the crimes they attempted in full.
• Conspiracy
  • Any sophont found guilty of planning to commit a crime, with the intent to carry out that crime eventually, and having committed an overt act pursuant to that end, will receive the sentence for the crimes they conspired towards in full.
• Deadly weapon
  • Any sophont found guilty of committing a crime, utilising any object used offensively for the purpose of inflicting mortal or great bodily harm, will receive an additional modifier of, at most, +50% of the original sentence.
• Aggravation
  • Any sophont found guilty of committing a crime with reckless abandon, evident signs of lack of regret or remorse, or blatant disregard for potential collateral damage, will receive an additional modifier of, at most, +50% of the original sentence.
• Recidivism
  • Any sophont convicted of the same criminal charge multiple times within one shift will receive an additional modifier of, at most, +100% of the original sentence. OOC NOTE: If a character is sexually harassing another character, or being bigoted, in a way that breaks Server Rules A1 or A2, you are allowed to summarily execute them. Please contact admins via AHelp if such an incident occurs.

Extenuating

• Cooperation
  • Any sophont who shares actionable intelligence with the authorities, turns oneself in, testifies against accomplices, confesses to their crime, or otherwise aids the prosecution, may have their sentence reduced to no less than 50% of the original sentence.
• Dire Emergency
  • Any sophont found to have committed a crime in the process of absolutely necessary and reasonable actions, taken with the intent to resolve or mitigate the effects of a dire emergency on one’s vessel or habitat, may have their sentence reduced by any amount, or completely waived.
• Self-Defence
  • Any sophont found to have committed a crime or crimes in protection of oneself or another, and only to the necessary extent to avert a direct and imminent threat to the health and life of innocent persons, may have their sentence reduced by any amount, or completely waived.
• Good Behavior
  • Any convict who peacefully complies with the authorities, displays clear signs of remorse concerning the committed crime, and/or conducts themselves peacefully while imprisoned, may be paroled as outlined in the Standard Operating Procedures.

Crimes

Capital Crimes

Code		Name	Time	Description
401		Murder	Capital	To maliciously commit an act resulting in the death of a sophont, with reckless indifference to their life.
402		Terrorism	Capital	To maliciously commit an act or take hostages with reckless indifference to life in order to provoke a state of terror in, intimidate, or otherwise compel an entity to act or abstain from acting.
403		Grand Sabogate	Capital	To maliciously commit an act that, directly or indirectly, renders a vessel or its part uninhabitable or inoperable; or, to commit an act that causes irreversible damage to High Security Areas and/or systems of a vessel.
404		Prevention of Revival	Capital	To commit an act that prevents the revival of a sophont by standard medical care following their death.
405		Sedition	Capital	To act to overthrow a lawfully established Chain of Command or governing body without lawful or legitimate cause.
406	WIP	Breach of Custody	Capital	To escape the custody of law enforcement while serving a legal sentence, or awaiting trial for a capital offense.

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Grand Felonies

Code		Name	Time	Description
301		Manslaughter	16 minutes	To act without malice in a manner which, directly or indirectly, leads to the death of a sophont.
302		Kidnapping	16 minutes	To unlawfully confine or restrict the free movement of an entity against its will.
303	WIP	Grand Possession	15-25 minutes	To be in the possession of a Category C, D, or E Controlled Armament.
304		Mindbreaking	14 minutes	To unlawfully and maliciously rid a psionic of their powers
305		Sabotage	14 minutes	To maliciously commit an act that, directly or indirectly, hinders the operation of a vessel of its part; or, to commit an act that modifies and/or damages technology or equipment one is not authorized to access.
306		Abuse of Power	14 minutes	To intentionally misuse or wrongfully exercise one’s own authority, influence, or control, resulting in harm, unjust treatment, or demonstratable loss to another entity.
307		Grand Larceny	12 minutes	To deprive an entity of any Controlled Item in their lawful possession.
308		Black Marketeering	12 minutes	To sell, distribute, or otherwise circulate Controlled Items to unauthorized entities.

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Felonies

Code		Name	Time	Description
201		Assault	10 minutes	To cause physical harm or to effect unwanted physical contact on a sophont, without the apparent intent to kill them, or to threaten such actions with both capability and intent to do so.
202		Breaking and Entering	10 minutes	To break and enter into a high security area where one is not authorised nor invited, with intent to commit a crime within.
203		Rioting	8 minutes	To partake in an unauthorised riotous, tumultuous, and disruptive public assembly that refuses to disperse after warning.
204		Endangerment	8 minutes	To recklessly abandon obligations involving the continued wellbeing and/or protection of life and property, through malpractice, action, or inaction.
205		Possession	5-10 minutes	To be in unauthorised possession of restricted items or items of particular danger. See Controlled Substances/Items, Controlled Armaments.
206		Obstruction of Justice	8 minutes	To wilfully disobey, interfere with, or refuse a decree of the court, warrant, or arrest.
207		Perjury or False Report	6 minutes	To wilfully and maliciously tell an untruth either in court or in the process of making an actionable report to law enforcement.
208		Contempt of Court	6 minutes	To conduct oneself disruptively and disrespectfully before the court.
209	WIP	Identity Theft	5 minutes	To maliciously assume the identity of an entity, such as through writing, attire, and/or speech.

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Misdemeanors

Code		Name	Time	Description
101		Animal Cruelty	5 minutes	To inflict unnecessary suffering on a sapient being with malicious intent.
102	WIP	Harassment	5 minutes	To verbally demean, humiliate, or harass an entity with malice; or maliciously spread false information amongst a population.
103	WIP	Vigilantism	4 minutes	To perform the responsibility and duty of a law enforcement official without approval or due cause to act.
104		Theft	4 minutes	To deprive an entity of an item in their lawful property without consent.
105		Trespass	3 minutes	To enter into an area where one is not authorised nor invited.
106		Vandalism	3 minutes	To deface or superficially damage public property, or property belonging to another person.
107		Hooliganism	As necessary	To intentionally and maliciously engage in disruptive conduct, where one refuses to cease.