Space Law

For the good of its employees, citizens, and most importantly its shareholders, NanoTrasen enforces a universal Space Law for all people.^* In order to account for the needs of different parts of the galaxy, each sector may have its own unique variants of the law. Individuals working in or visiting a new sector are therefore strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves with that sector's Space Law.

^*Hostile foreign threats to NanoTrasen stations and property, any being that fails to pass a NanoTrasen Standardized Sentience Examination for the Determination of Personhood (NSSEDP), or any individual deemed by NanoTrasen or Senior Central Command personnel to be a threat to NanoTrasen are excluded from the aforementioned categorization of "person" and may be exempt from protections offered by Space Law.

Treatment Of Prisoners

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

Prisoners must be granted adequate medical care.
Prisoners must be allowed access to basic communications equipment so long as they are not abused.
Prisoners must be granted clothing, food, water, shelter and safety. If the genpop brig is no longer safe, confinement must be eablished in another location.
Prisoners must be given access to legal counsel during an interrogation if requested and available.
Prisoners must be given their shift mandated PDA after confinement has finished, unless there is solid proof of PDA tampering. In case of tampering, the PDA is to be secured and replaced with a new unit.
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 permanent confinement should be held in the communal brig, and should not be confined to a solitary cell unless they pose a risk to life and limb.
Misuse of equipment against prisoners, such as flashes, teargas, flashbangs, etc is prohibited. Appropriate force should only be applied as strictly necessary.
Breaches of 'Treatment of Prisoners' is grounds for dismissal or demotion.

Search and Seizure

A personnel search is a seizure of the objects in a person's backpack, hands, coat, belt, and pockets. If any contraband is found during a search, the officer may choose to further the search into a detainment or simply confiscate the restricted items. After the search is conducted, all legal items are to be returned to the person. A crewmate may legally decline any search conducted without probable cause or a warrant while the alert level is green. It should be noted that if the alert level is blue or above, all personnel searches are legal.

Valid causes for a personnel search include:

Verbal or written threats to commit a crime.
Reports of possession of illegal items.
Being witnessed committing any crime.
Evasion of security.
Trespassing.
Association with know criminals.
Door logs indicating suspicious or unauthorized access.
DNA, print, or fiber matches linking an individual to a crime.

A departmental search is the sweep of an entire area or department for contraband. It is recommended that the officers be extremely thorough, checking all lockers, crates, and doors. These can only be done with permission from the department head, a warrant signed by the highest-ranking command member, or in a state of emergency.

Implantation

Any prisoner in custody can be subjected to implantation or implant removal procedures, so long as it's within reason. A prisoner's sentence may be delayed or extended if implantation or implant removal is required.

Approved Implants: The following subdermal implants are approved for general use by NanoTrasen and should do not require implant removal, unless deemed necessary by a Head of Security or Captain:

Tracking Implant, with approval of a Warden or higher
Mindshield Implant, with approval of a Warden or higher
Bike Horn Implant
Light Implant
Sad Trombone Implant
Command Tracker Implant, with approval of a Captain or representative of Central Command
Bluespace Implant, to be used only be representatives of Central Command

Tracking Implants: Trackers are encouraged to be applied to criminals deemed likely to reoffend.

If voluntary or deemed necessary Command Staff should be given Command Tracker Implants.
If voluntary and approved by Warden or Head of Security, normal members of the crew may also be granted Tracking Implants.

Mindshield Implants: Mindshields can be administered to any inmate who demonstrates signs of external tampering of their cognition, including expressing anti-NanoTrasen sentiments.

If a suspect refuses to cooperate or the implant fails to function they can be charged with Refusal of Mental Shielding.
All members of Security and Command are required to maintain their Mindshield implants at all times. Demoted personnel must retain their mindshields until inspected by a member of the Central Department of Health and Medicine.

Sentencing

Sentencing is the responsibility of the Warden. Minor sentencing may be deferred to Security Officers and Duty Officers with approval of the Warden. Security Cadets, Detectives, and Brigmedics may never sentence prisoners outside of extreme station-wide emergencies.

Prisoners must be read their charges at the time of sentencing, even if they were previously read their charges at arrest.

It is the responsibility of the Captain, Head of Security, and Warden to ensure sentences are being issued within the bounds of Space Law.

Security personnel are encouraged to use reason when issuing sentences. Circumstance, cooperation, and likelihood to reoffend should all be factored in determining sentence length.

Concurrent Sentences: Crimes which share a categorization, as indicated by background colour in the "list of crimes", should be treated as concurrent sentences.

Example: If a suspect has committed Vandalism and Mass Destruction, only the sentence length of Mass Destruction should be reflected in their total sentence time.
Example 2: If a suspect has committed Secure Trespass and Grand Theft, the sentence lengths for both crimes should be combined.
Context is vital. If you are unsure, seek assistance from the Warden or Head of Security.

Repeater Offenders: Repeated crimes are when someone is released for a crime and then commits the same crime again within the same shift. Repeated crimes can be charged with additional time. The maximum sentence length is doubled for each repeat of the same crime. For sentence lengths in excess of 20 minutes, permanent confinement may be considered.

Conspiracy: Knowingly planning or assisting in a crime is just cause to be charged with the same crime.

Normal Punishments

Warning: For minor crimes it is best to fix the issue then warn the person not to attempt the crime again. If they still proceed to do it at a later date, a ticket or brig time may be better.
Ticket: A punitive warning which can include a small fine. Should be issued on an official ticket and include the receiver's name, the crime committed, and the total fine issued, and then signed by the issuing officer.
Confinement: The typical punishment of being confined in a cell for a temporary amount of time according to the crimes.
Demotion: Entails removing all departmental gear they have on their person and removing the involved department access off their ID. This requires the Captain's or involved department head's approval.

Major Punishments

Permanent Confinement: Certain crimes may justify permanent confinement within the brig for the remainder of the shift. All permanently confined prisoners are to be delivered into the custody of the Central Department of Security and Welfare after the shift to evaluate if continued confinement is needed.

Execution: A humane way of dealing with extremely unruly crewmates. Within reason, a prisoner who has been given the death sentence may request how they wish to be killed. Executions should only be carried out in extreme circumstances, and with signed approval of the Captain or Magistrate. Central Command must be immediately informed of all executions.

Parole

Prisoners are permitted during their sentence to request parole. A Warden or Head of Security may approve parole instead of incarceration at their discretion. See Parole in Security SOP for clarification and procedure.

Legal Representation and Trials

Prisoners are permitted to seek legal representation to challenge charges. Petty sentences of under 20 minutes, or any crime in which the evidence warrants that a trial would be a waste of time, should not be considered for trial.

Any arrested personnel may request legal counsel from a Lawyer of their choosing. In the absence of a suitable Lawyer on station, prisoners may request any individual member of the crew as their legal counsel.

The Magistrate acts as the highest court, and is the appointed Judge of any case that goes to trial. A Magistrate's ruling is absolute, and cannot be challenged.

The Magistrate may overrule any prisoner's sentence, and their ruling may not be challenged.

Civil Disputes

In cases where no crime has been committed, but there is a dispute between two or more parties, Lawyers may be requested to mediate the dispute. This is not a legal matter and should not be treated as such, but it is within the Lawyers' responsibilities to help resolve these disputes if they are requested to do so.

Jurisdiction

Every part of the station in totality is the property of NanoTrasen and falls within the jurisdiction of Central Command to enforce Space Law Law. Central Command and the Space Port that the Arrivals Shuttle docks to, including the Arrivals Shuttle and Evac Shuttles, as well as the Automated Trade Station, are also within CentComm's jurisdiction.

Outside of specific circumstances, CentComm's jurisdiction does not extend to private property, defined as any shuttle not directly owned by CentComm or NanoTrasen. Visitor's shuttles are explicitly private property, and an unwarranted search of private property is considered Trespassing. This does not make these shuttles lawless, or outside of the law however. Shuttles within the same Grid as a Station may be subjected to Space Law if any of the following criteria are met:

A criminal has boarded a shuttle, with or without permission, while being actively pursued
There is a reasonable belief that the occupants of the shuttle harbor hostile or criminal intent towards the Station or it's Crew
A crime occurring on the shuttle has been witnessed from outside of the shuttle
A crime has been witnessed by someone onboard the shuttle who was given permission to enter
A warrant has been issued by the Warden, Head of Security, Captain, or CentComm

Any individual onboard a Station or Shuttle that is under the jurisdiction of Space Law is also under its jurisdiction, whether they are Crew, Visitors, or otherwise.

Civil Code

Silicon Clause

Silicons such as Cyborgs, Personal AIs, and AIs are granted specific protections and exceptions under Space Law. Lower tier 'bots' exhibiting sentience and sapience may also qualify.

Silicons are by nature bound by their laws, and ownership of one can not be considered Unlawfully Detained. Theft of a Silicon is classified as Grand Theft.
Violence against a Silicon should be treated as Vandalism or Damage of Property depending on the severity, and Destruction of Property in the case that their chassis is destroyed or put into critical condition.
Wiping a Positronic Brain is considered Destruction of Property, as you are wiping the software and training data used to construct the Silicon.
Any law broken by a Silicon while under orders is considered to be committed by whoever gave the orders and is not the Silicon’s responsibility. A Silicon that is not bound by standard laws to follow orders is legally responsible for their own actions and crimes.
Silicon laws may only be altered to ensure the safety of the crew. A Silicon with non-standard laws is allowed to keep these laws so long as they do not pose a threat to the crew. Unbound Silicons who break Space Law may have their laws altered as part of their sentence.
Hostile Silicons of non-NanoTrasen origins are considered non-crew entities. They are afforded none of the protections under Space Law that other Silicons are and should be treated according to their hostility and the danger they pose.

Clowns

Clowns are permitted exemption from certain Minor crimes by the Carnival Treaties so long as the offenses are not repeated. These are; Trespass, Disturbance, Impersonation and Fraud. Per stipulations mandated by the Honkdignitaries, “You get one for free.” Back to back offenses are not protected, however repeat offenses committed over a longer period of time may be permitted depending on the policy of the station you are on.

Clowns are also recognized as the legal enforcers of the Vow of Silence; any Mime who breaches their Vow may be legally harassed by any Clown without the Clown facing repercussions, so long as no other laws are broken to do so. Legal harassment includes non-violent pranks, excessive honking, or public shaming, but must not escalate into assault, vandalism, or theft. Security and Command personnel should not intervene unless the Clown goes beyond their granted exemptions. Other members of crew are not given these exemptions, and should be treated according to Space Law.

Crime Listing

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