Anticlere

TES:V speculation

Law and the courts

There should in general be few prisons because paying for their upkeep is undesirable, and as such there should be few reasons to have a prison stay.  You can be sent there as part of the general lock-up until your trial, and for specific things they can have individual cells for torture.

 

If you aren’t caught for your serious crime but it is known who you are, you can be outlawed.  Your property can be taken if there is any in the city, and the protections of law don’t apply to you.  You can be killed on sight without penalty to the killer.  The options you have are to exile yourself to the next city-state, to hide out for awhile with the help of your friends, or to find a way to the noble and beg forgiveness.  

 

            Guilds in an effort to self regulate will undertake responsibility for their members in many cases.  They will handle the punishment and trying of their own when they can.  The sentences will generally be lighter, but the effects will be more widespread because all the guildhalls across the province will be informed about the proceedings and restrict your advancement potential.

 

            The fines for crimes usually go right to the noble overseeing the court, so these rights to judge are very important to them.  If they can find a way to get you into their court for the crime, they will.  There aren’t laws against double jeopardy; you might get a double judgment if your first trial wasn’t well known or public enough.

 

            There is also the chance that a dispute will be resolved privately in a small manner, like a tavern owner issuing punishment for a barfight or the head of a farming work group issuing punishment for a herder who didn’t stand proper watch over the flock.

 

            Below are listed the means of trying cases in the next game.

 

Nobles

-Trial by Battle for disputes between noblemen

-Decisions by the next highest rank of noble

 

Clergy

-Church courts are the only ones that can judge the clergy

-They give lighter sentences, and cannot sentence death

-Might have to prove yourself part of the church

 

Manor Courts

-These deal with charges of assault, theft, public drunkenness and other small crimes

-This court allows peasants to sue

-Most of the villagers would be there and decide the case

-Witnesses will be very important, and so is swaying the crowd

-Either the noble or his/her representative gives the sentencing

 

Imperial Courts/Royal Courts

-Are for serious crimes such as murder, treason, rape, and abduction

-These courts can order executions

-The court takes the property of the people who are executed

 

 

And here is the list of crimes for the next game.

High CrimesDeath by various means

Treason

Conspiracy to Commit Treason

 

Severe CrimesPublic and private torture

Homicide

Attempted Homicide

Assault with a deadly weapon

Abduction

Robbery

Espionage

 

FeloniesPublic torture and humiliation

Harboring Exiles

Adultery

Rape

Bearing False Witness

Poisoning

Burglary

Burning houses

Blackmail

Identity Theft

Piracy

Grand Theft

Racketeering

 

MisdemeanorsPublic humiliation

Assault

Assault and Battery

Fighting on holy ground

Aiding criminals

Manslaughter

Incendiary speeches

Negligence

Theft

Forestalling

Purpresture

Using false balances

Vagrancy

Public Nuisance in construction

Squatting

Forgery

Smuggling

Tax Evasion

Trespassing

Vandalism

Disorderly Conduct