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
-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 Crimes – Death by various means
Treason
Conspiracy to Commit Treason
Severe Crimes – Public and private torture
Homicide
Attempted Homicide
Assault with a deadly weapon
Abduction
Robbery
Espionage
Felonies – Public torture and humiliation
Harboring Exiles
Adultery
Rape
Bearing False Witness
Poisoning
Burglary
Burning houses
Blackmail
Identity Theft
Piracy
Grand Theft
Racketeering
Misdemeanors – Public 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