New Space Law - HackMD

<center><h2>Justice on Nanotrasen Stations: A Treatise on Space Law</h2></center> <h3>A Brief Introduction to the Space Law</h3> This Law Book, while important, is in its core just what it is: a fancy paper in a fancy cover with fancy words written inside of it. It's the Letter of the Law, a generalization of cases used by lawyers to try and pull a stunt. It is important, but as a Security Officer, you should obey to the Spirit of the Law, not the Letter. The Letter of the Law is to give you directions, but the Spirit of the Law is what should make the rulings. Your primary duty onboard Nanotrasen stations is to protect the crew in good faith, and so you must always consider the circumstances of a crime. Hitting a crewmate accidentally while fighting a much bigger threat should probably be waived, while spilling lube near open airlocks should perhaps be prosecuted more harshly. The accused's intent is just as important, and must be considered as well. The difference between Aggravated Assault and Attempted Murder can be very hard to ascertain, and, when in doubt, you should default to the less serious crime. Always use your best judgment and common sense when arresting someone, don't get discouraged if the criminal begins to complain, but most importantly listen to the advice of fellow officers and superiors. As a Security Assistant, generally the same principles apply to you, but with half of the responsibility. Your primary role is to assist the Security team in the best way you can, whether that be through sorting out Security records, wardening any prisoners being held in the brig or manning the security cameras. And despite what your fellow officers might tell you, supplying the Security team with alcohol is NOT within your role expectation and should NOT be done while on duty.<hr> <h3>List of Criminal Charges</h3> Here's a guideline for how you should probably treat suspects by each particular crime. Charges are cumulative, but the total brig timer may not exceed 5 minutes. <h4>Minor Crimes:</h4> For Minor crimes, verbal and written warnings are recommended, with an escalation towards brig time for repeat offenders. <ul style='list-style-type:disc'> <li>Assault <ul style='list-style-type:circle'> <li>Use of force against another person resulting in mild bodily injuries. In case of grievous physical damages or the use of a deadly weapon, more serious charges should be applied.</li> </ul> </li> <li>Petty theft <ul style='list-style-type:circle'> <li>To take items from general areas one does not have access to or to take items belonging to others or to the company as a whole, without impacting the productivity of the station.</li> </ul> </li> <li>Vandalism <ul style='list-style-type:circle'> <li>To deliberately damage the station without impacting its productivity.</li> </ul> </li> <li>Possession of dangerous contraband <ul style='list-style-type:circle'> <li>To be in possession of a dangerous piece of contraband. Includes variable types of weaponry and explosives. Separate less than lethal weapons may be registered at security using contraband stickers for the purposes of exploration or self defense. The bartender's shotgun, and medical director's tranquilizer rifle are exempt from confiscation while being used in good faith.</li> </ul> <ul style='list-style-type:circle'> <li>To be in possession of equipment manufactured by a hostile corporation. Includes variable types of non-dangerous contraband gear and equipment.</li> </ul> <li>Creating a Workplace Hazard <ul style='list-style-type:circle'> <li>To endanger the crew or ship through negligent or irresponsible, but not deliberately malicious, actions.</li> This includes unsafe disposal and storage of explosives, weaponry and chemicals. </ul> </li> <li>Trespass <ul style='list-style-type:circle'> <li>To be in an area which a person does not have access to without further malicious intent.</li> </ul> </li> <li>Breaking and Entering <ul style='list-style-type:circle'> <li>To forcefully enter an area to which a person does not have access to. This only applies to general areas of the station, for more restricted areas, more serious charges should be applied.</li> </ul> </li> <li>Harassment <ul style='list-style-type:circle'> <li>To behave in a way meant to distress, annoy or torment someone. </ul> </li> </ul> <h4>Moderate Crimes:</h4> For Moderate Crimes, a brig time ranging from 30 seconds to 3 minutes is recommended, depending on the gravity and impact of the crime. <ul style='list-style-type:disc'> <li>Aggravated assault <ul style='list-style-type:circle'> <li>Use of force against another person through a deadly weapon or resulting in grievous bodily injuries, without apparent intent to kill them.</li> A variety of tools, chemicals, and other station equipment can inflict grievous injuries and should be counted as deadly weaponry. </ul> </li> <li>Attempted murder <ul style='list-style-type:circle'> <li>Use of force against another person with apparent intent to kill them, but without succeeding to.</li> Intent is important. if the perpetrator attempted to apply first aid to the victim, or dragged them to medbay, then it is highly likely it was not a murder attempt. </ul> </li> <li>Manslaughter <ul style='list-style-type:circle'> <li>To unintentionally kill someone through negligent, but not malicious, actions.</li> Intent is important. Accidental deaths caused by negligent actions, such as creating workplace hazards (e.g. gas leaks), tampering with sensitive equipment, excessive force in self defense are examples of Manslaughter. </ul> </li> <li>Sabotage <ul style='list-style-type:circle'> <li>To engage in maliciously destructive actions, impacting the productivity of the station, but not the safety of the crew.</li> All actions impacting the safety of the crew or grievously impacting the productivity of a department or the station as a whole should be classified as acts of Grand Sabotage. </ul> </li> <li>Breaking and Entering into a sensitive area <ul style='list-style-type:circle'> <li>To forcefully enter a sensitive area of the ship to which a person does not have access to.</li> Sensitive areas count as areas that contain sensitive and potentially dangerous equipment. Such areas include Security, the Bridge, and other areas of similar purpose and restriction levels. </ul> </li> <li>Theft <ul style='list-style-type:circle'> <li>To take items from areas one does not have access to or to take items or funds belonging to others or to the company as a whole, impacting the productivity of the station.</li> <li>To take items from an area of the station considered as sensitive, that one does not have access to or to take items or funds belonging to others or to the company as a whole.</li> Sensitive areas count as areas that contain sensitive and potentially dangerous equipment. Such areas include Security, the Bridge, and other areas of similar purpose and restriction levels. </ul> </li> </ul> <h4>Major Crimes:</h4> For Major Crimes, a sentence ranging from 3 to 5 minutes is recommended. <ul style='list-style-type:disc'> <li>Murder <ul style='list-style-type:circle'> <li>To maliciously kill someone</li> A harsher sentence should be applied when the victim is not revivable, going up to 5 minutes but not exceeding it. </ul> </li> <li>Industrial Sabotage <ul style='list-style-type:circle'> <li>To engage in maliciously destructive actions, seriously threatening the crew or the station</li> Bombing, flooding the hallways with harmful gases, subverting or attempting to subvert the silicons, and other actions that could seriously injure multiple people at once, as well as actions that could prevent a department or the station as a whole from functioning entirely, all count as Grand Sabotage. </ul> </li> <li>Breaking and Entering into a protected area <ul style='list-style-type:circle'> <li>To forcefully enter a protected area of the ship to which a person does not have access to.</li> Protected areas are areas that contain dangerous and destructive equipment. </ul> </li> <li>Grand Theft <ul style='list-style-type:circle'> <li>To take items from areas one does not have access to or to take items or funds belonging to others or to the company as a whole, gravely impacting the productivity of the station.</li> <li>To take items from an area of the station considered as protected, that one does not have access to.</li> Protected areas are areas that contain straight up dangerous and destructive equipment. </ul> </li> </ul> <h4>Additional Circumstances and Special Cases:</h4> The following is a list of aggravating and alleviating circumstances to crime, the respective recommended amendments to the sentence, as well as greatly variable crimes. <ul style='list-style-type:disc'> <li>Cooperation with security <ul style='list-style-type:circle'> <li>To assist the investigation during interrogation</li> Such assistance may include but is not limited to: a full confession, providing names of accomplices, revealing additional circumstances unknown to the investigation prior to the arrest. A reduction for up to 50% of the sentence is recommended, depending on the helpfulness of the provided information, and the willingness to deliver it. </ul> </li> <li>Surrender <ul style='list-style-type:circle'> <li>To willfully surrender to security forces</li> For this condition to apply, the perpetrator should willingly come to a member of security, confessing to their crimes and taking the punishment. Simply getting arrested without resistance is not surrender. A reduction for up to 25% of the sentence is recommended. </ul> </li> <li>Self defense <ul style='list-style-type:circle'> <li>To protect onself, their colleagues or their workplace from an immediate threat</li> For this to apply, the threat must be immediate and inevitable, vigilantism is still to be punished by law. An immediate release should be in order. However, in case of use of a disproportionate force, for example defending oneself with a firearm in an attack by knife, a criminal charge should still be applied. </ul> </li> <li>Resisting arrest <ul style='list-style-type:circle'> <li>To actively prevent one's own arrest</li> This should only apply if the initial charge is valid. If the initial charge is not valid or has been disproved, an immediate release is in order. Assaulting crew or officers during an arrest counts and should be treated as an additional assault charge, and not resisting arrest. Shoving, bolting doors, building walls and running away from officers during an arrest count as resisting arrest. For resisting arrest, an additional 30 to 60 seconds in the brig are recommended. </ul> </li> <li>Repeat offender <ul style='list-style-type:circle'> <li>To commit the same crime after getting released</li> An addition of 30 seconds to the brig time is recommended after each repeated arrest. Repeat offenses may result in an execution, see the Capital Punishment section. </ul> </li> <li>Mind control <ul style='list-style-type:circle'> <li>To regain one's own will after being direct mind control of another person</li> Mind control includes misuse of laws, the use of mindhack devices and of revolutionary devices. An immediate release is in order. All crimes committed by the controlled person or silicon are to be transferred to the root actor. </ul> </li> <li>Aiding and Abetting <ul style='list-style-type:circle'> <li>To assist a known criminal outside of one's duty</li> Intent and circumstances are important: Treating a criminal's bleeding as a medical doctor is not a crime, while providing a criminal with an explosive device is. From 50% to the full charge applied to the initial perpetrator is to be applied to the accessory, depending on the extent of the aid provided. </ul> </li> <li>Escape from the Brig <ul style='list-style-type:circle'> <li>To flee confinement for any reason other than to escape impending lethal danger</li> In case of an escape, the timer should be reset and an additional 30 seconds added. In case of multiple escapes, see the section about executions. </ul> </li> </ul> <hr> <h3>Capital Punishment</h3> Only two forms of Capital Punishment are allowed onboard of NanoTrasen stations: <ul style='list-style-type:disc'> <li>Exile from the station. Can be done either by throwing the criminal into space, letting them take enough internals to survive as well as a spacesuit, or by delivering the criminal to a neutral turf, such as the space diner. After getting exiled, any sightings of the exiled on station should result in an immediate execution. </li> <li>Execution. The method should be quick and humane: preferably firing squad or spacing. It is encouraged to allow the criminal to say their last words before getting executed. </li> </ul> Capital punishment may be warranted if any of the following conditions are met: <ul style='list-style-type:disc'> <li>The criminal is not an NT employee. Based on this grounds ONLY EXILE is allowed, unless one of the other conditions have been met. Please note that any human may apply to become an NT employee in the Head of Personnel's office instead of getting exiled. Should such request be granted, but crewmanship may be revoked if said new hire commits a Moderate Crime or worse.</li> <li>The criminal has reoffended multiple times, with solid evidence to back up each arrest. Generally, on the rd Major Crime or the 4th Moderate Crime, capital punishment is warranted.</li> <li>The criminal has proven to be uncontainable, appliable after the criminal has escaped the brig twice or more. </li> </ul> If a criminal has warranted execution and you believe they should be executed, the execution should be authorized by one of the following, in order of preference from most preferable to least preferable: the Head of Security, the NanoTrasen Security Consultant, the Captain. If all the aforementioned personnel are not present on the shift, KIA, MIA, incapacitated or otherwise unresponsive, then any security officer can authorize an execution. Unresponsive personnel are personnel that have not responded for 3 minutes or more to a request to authorize an execution. <hr> <h3> Engagement Protocol </h3> As a Security Officer, you are expected to practice a minimum of due process in detaining, searching, and arresting people. Suspects still have rights, and treating people like scum will usually just turn into more crime and bring a swift end to your existence. Never use lethal force, if it is not absolutely necessary. <h4>Arrest checklist:</h4> <ul style='list-style-type:disc'> <li>State your intentions before arresting the suspect.</li> <li>Detain the suspect with minimum force.</li> <li>Handcuff the suspect and restrain them by pulling them. If their crime requires a brig time, a search or an interrogation, bring them into the security office.</li> <li>If a search is warranted, when in the brig, tell them you're going to search them before doing so. Empty their pockets and remove their backpack. Look through everything. Be sure to open containers inside containers, such as boxes inside backpacks. Be sure to replace all items in the containers when you're done. Don't strip them in the hallways!</li> <li>Confiscate any contraband and/or stolen items, as well as any tools that were used in previous crimes, these need to be placed in a proper evidence locker, or crate and should not be left on the brig floor, or used for personal use, if stolen, return the items to their rightful owners.</li> <li>If you need to brig them, put them in a cell and remove the handcuffs once inside. Remember to set the timer!</li> <li> Aditionnaly, if the suspect is likely to attempt a break out, or has dangerous but not contraband items that you think they want to use against you, place those in the automatic locker in the cell, so the perpetrator may take them back once the sentence is over. </li> <li>Update their security record if needed.</li> </ul> N.B.: It is highly illegal for NanoTrasen security to make use of Syndicate devices. Do not use traitor gear as a non-traitor, even to apprehend traitors! <hr> <h3>An Even Briefer Conclusion to the Space Law</h3> Now that we've covered all of the laws and protocols, let's be frank: there's no point of being a good guy if you don't have drip! Remember to dress appropriately and visibly, but with taste! On a very important note as well, donuts and coffee might be the very thing that keep you alive during your stay on NT stations, so remember to always have a backup stash of those, and most importantly, at all and any costs, prevent staff assistants from stealing OUR precious box of donuts! And finally, remember to be cool. It may not always go the way you want it to go, sometimes the clown will slip you on a banana peel, sometimes the drunk staff assistant will shank another drunk staff assistant over a rubber duck, but that's just fine, keep your head cool, your shoulders back, snack on a donut and give some hugs to your Boss's pet turtle, and then maybe Sylvester will give you some love back!