Space Law

Space Law

On space station 14, stations operate under abbreviated space law. All crew, passengers, and visitors aboard the station are expected to know and follow these laws (they are fairly common sense, only security and the captain need to know the times).

Due Process Procedures

A search warrant is a document listing all persons and areas to be searched with the signature of the authority authorizing the search. An arrest warrant is a document listing the individual to be arrested and on what charges with the signature of the authority authorizing the arrest.

An approved warrant must be presented before an arrest or search. Note that this changes depending on the alert status.

The persons authorized to approve a warrant are: The Captain, Head of Security or The Warden, in that order. Higher priority persons may defer down the list at their discretion. Under normal circumstances, it can be assumed that the Captain have deferred this responsibility to the HoS.

• In the event that every person on the prior list is dead or out of contact, an active Security Officer may sign for charges and warrants but MUST have their actions reviewed and validated by the prior personnel as soon as possible. They may indefinitely hold individuals given a clear danger, but otherwise may only apply minimum charges.
• Warrants against visitors should be handled as above, though they have no immediate superior.

Exceptions to presenting a warrant are:

• Should security witness a crime, then a warrant can be approved and presented after the arrest.
• If waiting for a warrant would cause further hazard to the ship or personnel, then a warrant may be approved and presented after the arrest or search.
• Warrants required for the previous two circumstances can be approved by the Head of Security. However, they can still be overruled by The Captain.
• Searches of public areas or of arrested individuals requires no extra warrant or authorisation.

Crime

• Crimes are divided into Low Crimes and High Crimes. Low Crimes can be charged, investigated, and punished directly by security. High Crimes should be heard and judged in a Court.
• Security personnel can be tried in a Court-Martial for committing any High Crime, with the maximum listed punishment being applicable by the court martial.
• Each crime has at least three sections: Minimum Punishment, Maximum Punishment, and Special Considerations.
• Any punishments below the maximum punishment can be administered, unless otherwise stated, and punishments below the minimum punishment can also be applied, as long as the minimum punishment is also applied.
• In the event of multiple crimes in the same vein, like an individual that has committed maiming and murder on the same victim, only the charge for the most severe crime should be applied.
• When applying charges extenuating circumstances can apply, lifting the punishment for the crime entirely or applying a reduced sentence. In this situation whether the commission of the crime is justified should be decided by the ranking member of security or The Captain. This includes situations such as: justifiable homicide, an emergency requiring trespassing, and self defence.

Sentencing Modifiers

Solicitation, Accessory, Attempts, and Conspiracy are to be treated and charged as if the perpetrator committed the associated crime. For example: an individual who is an accessory to murder will be punished as if they are charged with murder.

• Solicitation: Encouraging, bribing, requesting, or instructing someone to commit a crime, with the intent that the person being solicited commit the crime.
• Accessory: 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.
• Attempts: Attempting to commit a crime, with the intent to carry out that crime.
• Conspiracy: Planning to commit a crime, with the intent to eventually carry out that crime.

Punishment

Court Martial only punishments:

• Execution: Termination of life. Anyone who has been given a sentence of death may choose which option suits them if more than one option is possible. They may also choose to receive painkillers, anaesthesia, and/or tranquilizers if not otherwise required.
• Firing Squad: Must consist of a minimum of three carbines or rifles, firing simultaneously
• Lethal Injection: Must consist of three parts. First, the highest-strength painkiller available must be administered, followed by anaesthesia, chemical or gaseous, then finally, life may be terminated with any appropriate chemical, as determined by ranking medical staff.
• Airlocking: The airlock used must be filled with air and locked, and then have its exterior door forced open, without cycling, so that the subject is forced away from the vessel by air pressure.

Normal Punishments

• Extended Confinement: Confinement in the brig until the end of shift.
• Restriction: The restriction of an individual to certain areas aboard a vessel or facility. Typically sleeping quarters, the mess hall, and required medical facilities. Aboard the Torch, this means that an individual on restriction is only permitted in: public hallways, the mess hall, the infirmary for medical care, arrivals and bunk rooms.
• Confinement: Being held in the brig - either in a cell, solitary, or in a communal area - for some temporary period of time.

Treatment Of Prisoners

Prisoners still have certain rights that must be upheld by law enforcement:

• Prisoners must be granted adequate medical care. They should also be provided psychiatric and spiritual counselling if requested.
• Prisoners must be allowed access to communications equipment (Radios) so long as they are not abused.
• Prisoners must be granted clothing, food, water, shelter and safety. If the brig is no longer safe, confinement must be established in another location.
• Prisoners must be given access to legal counsel during an interrogation if requested and available.
• Prisoners must be granted freedom of movement, and should not be restrained with handcuffs or other devices after incarceration unless there is an undue risk to life and limb. Similarly, any prisoners held for extended or permanent confinement must be held in the communal brig, and must not be confined to a solitary cell unless they pose a risk to life and limb.

High Crimes

• All maximum punishments marked with an asterisk (*) are court martial ONLY punishments.

Caption text

Offense	Description	Minimum Punishment	Maximum Punishment	Notes
Murder	To kill a sapient being with malicious intent and premeditation.	Confinement for a minimum of 10 minutes	Execution	Premeditated and Malicious are the operative words here.
Manslaughter	To kill a sapient being without intent, or in a manner less extreme than murder. Includes provoked manslaughter, manslaughter in self-defence, negligent manslaughter, and impassioned killing.	Confinement for a minimum of 5 minutes.	Extended Confinement	Different from murder by virtue of lack of intent. If the actions of the perpetrator clearly did not intend to result in death, manslaughter is the appropriate charge.
Maiming	To inflict physical injury with the intent to disfigure, degrade appearance, or impair function.	Confinement for a minimum of 7:30 minutes.	Extended Confinement	This also includes mistreatment of bodies such as the taking of trophies, and security severely injuring prisoners to prevent escape.
Destruction of a Vessel or Habitat/Terrorism	To engage in maliciously destructive actions which threaten to destroy, or successfully destroy a vessel or habitat.	Confinement for a minimum of 10 minutes	Execution.*	This includes arson, bombing, tampering with Power, intentional decompression, sabotaging atmospherics, or tampering with the self-destruct.
Damage or Destruction of Property	To maliciously damage or deface public or private property or equipment, including legal evidence or recorded information.	Restriction	Extended Confinement.	This is a step down from destruction of a vessel or habitat, and a step up from vandalism. It applies more towards spacing a person’s PDA, maliciously breaking interior windows or furniture, or damaging machinery. Note that this requires malicious intent.
Kidnapping/Hostage Taking/Illegal Confinement	To unlawfully take away, transport, or confine a sapient being against that individual’s will.	Confinement of at least 7:30 minutes.	Execution.*	More severe punishment is appropriate depending on the motivation of the kidnapper. If an individual is held for ransom, the crime is considered Hostage Taking, and at a minimum should be given extended confinement. Notably, this includes the illegal confinement of an individual by security forces.
Sexual Assault/Harassment	To harass someone or attempt to force them into sexual situations	Extended Confinement.	Execution.	((ERP in any form is permabannable. Adminhelp this if it happens to you; it’s against server rules, not just the law.)) This law is mostly included to allow people to deal with it in the event it does occur.
Rioting	To engage in a violent public disturbance which involves damage to people or property.	Restriction	Extended Confinement.	Separated from hooliganism by causing damage in a riot.
Espionage	"Espionage: The gathering or communication of confidential or secret information of the state to a foreign or unauthorized domestic recipient, or to intentionally misrepresent oneself as being an official of Nanotrasen."	Restriction and 15 minutes in the brig	Execution.*	Note that execution only applies if they have committed other severe crimes such as multiple other high crimes.
Resistance/Breach of Arrest/Escape	To intentionally and violently resist Security Officers or other authorized personnel in the execution of an arrest; to violently flee arrest; to escape arrest, custody, or confinement.	5 minutes extra in the brig along with whatever previous sentence they had.	Extended confinement	Notably this only includes violently resisting arrest. Just because an accused person does not run to security with open arms does not mean they are resisting. Pushing or disarming does count. Execution can be sentenced by a Field Court-Martial only if Extended Confinement isn't an option.

Low Crimes

Caption text

Offense	Description	Minimum Punishment	Maximum Punishment	Notes
Assault	To threaten to use physical force against someone without the intent to kill or maim, while also having the capability and/or intent to carry out that threat.	Confinement for a minimum of 3 minutes.	Restriction	Note that this doesn’t include “Irma kill u” over common radio, it requires intent and ability to carry out the threat of violence, like waving a knife at someone.
Battery	To use physical force against a person, including any unlawful and or unwanted touching of the person by an aggressor or by a substance utilised by them, either directly or indirectly.	Confinement for a minimum of 5 minutes, 7:30 for any injury that results in a trip to the infirmary.	Extended Confinement.	The degree of injury should come into play a lot here. If someone just punched someone else, things should probably be handled outside of the brig.
Theft	To take the property of another individual, organization, or common property, without consent, and with the intent to deprive the rightful owner.	Confinement for a minimum of 2 minutes, 7:30 minutes minimum for dangerous, valuable, or sensitive items, and the confiscation and return of any stolen items.	Restriction	Even if an individual had access to items, removing them for unlawful personal use - or hiding them so others can’t use them - is still theft.
Endangerment	To recklessly put yourself or others in danger, either through direct action, or failure to act.	Confinement for a minimum of 2 minutes.	Restriction.	Covers industrial accidents, industrial negligence, or even medical malpractice. Punishment can vary widely based on severity. This also includes self-experimentation with regards to the Science department.
Vandalism	To intentionally deface or superficially damage public or private property.	Confinement for a minimum of 2 minutes or make them perform community service for 5 if you feel really cruel.	Restriction.	Note that this only requires intent, not necessarily the intent to sabotage or endanger people. Painting graffiti the mess hall is vandalism, breaking a window into space is not.
Trespassing	To enter an area which an individual does not have access to, whether by simple action, force, or coercion.	Removal from area and ticketing	Restriction	Once again comes down to severity; breaking into the vault and refusing to leave should be punished more severely than following an engineer into the engineering lobby. Remember to make sure a trespasser was not invited in.
Animal Cruelty	To inflict unnecessary suffering or harm on a non-sapient being with malicious intent.	Confinement for a minimum of 5 minutes, psychiatric counselling.	Restriction	This doesn’t include legitimate and authorized experiments on monkeys, or killing chickens for meat; but stuffing a dog in disposals definitely counts. setting monkeys on fire for kicks is fine provided you are science. Unauthorized experiments on animals may also be included.
Controlled Substances/Equipment	To wrongfully use, possess, manufacture, or distribute any controlled substances or items.	Ticketing	Confiscation and interrogation	Yet again comes down to severity; possession of a fully automatic weapon with lethal ammunition should be punished more severely than a single syringe of space drugs. How the person in question is using the item should also be taken into account, If a salvage is using an energy sword from a traitor they killed in order to kill carp on wrecks then its fine realistically, if they are using it to kill the clown, then its an issue.
Hooliganism	To intentionally engage in disruptive behaviour such as indecent exposure, belligerent drunkenness, disorderly shouting, or aggressive assembly.	Confinement until they sober up.	Restriction	This is kind of a catch all for malicious disruption. Note that only aggressive drunkenness counts, drowning your sorrows in the bar quietly is only punishable by your liver and your employer.
Cruelty and Maltreatment	To maltreat, be cruel to, or oppress an individual as that individual’s superior, or someone with authority over that individual.	Confinement for a minimum of 5 minutes.	Restriction	This largely applies to security and their treatment of people, either by using excessive force in detainment, improper punishment, or mistreating prisoners, but also applies to Officers using their position abusively, like demanding favours in exchange for promotion, or intimidating others to avoid punishment.
Evasion of Arrest/Failure to comply with a warrant	To non-violently resist, escape, or avoid arrest or the execution of a search warrant by a Security officer or otherwise authorized member of the Security team.	Confinement for a minimum of 2 minutes and education on the SCUJ and SCG Law.	Restriction.	This includes hiding from security, refusing to report to the brig if properly presented with charges, or locking oneself in a workplace.