Stonelian Crime & Punishment

Actions considered crimes within Stoniel are both unlike many other kingdoms and are almost common sense in other ways.

## Petty Crimes

* Theft under 2000gp
* Hoarding water
	+ Punishment - The punishment for Petty crimes is typically **Fines**, **Return of Hoarded Water**, and even **Jail time** in Trugenth prison **6 mths - 5 years** is typical.
		- It is generally **water hoarding** that results in jail time versus any other crime.

## Major Crimes

* Murder
* Treason
	+ Punishment - There is generally a trial for the crime committed and then the punishment is usually **banishment** or **jail time.**
		- Jail time is usually for those committing the most horrendous of murders, planned and premeditated.

## Judicial Branch

In order to judge these crimes, you require a governing body to do so. So alongside the Royal Family, who tends to handle more high profile cases. However, the **Judicial Branch** has a large hand in assisting even high profile cases judge and jury. (In addition to helping to create laws)

This branch of the government is made up of government-appointed individuals. There are **three** branches within the Judicial branch.

### Investigative Branch

* Responsible for the thorough investigation of *all* crimes. No crime is too small to investigate. Stonelian's believe in looking at all the angles before a case ever makes it to trial. They feel that without proper and thorough investigation they are failing their citizens. They have a wrongful conviction rate of only 1.5% and a wrongful accusation rate of 3%.

### Prosecution Branch

* This branch, of course, also includes the defensive side of the law. Trial's in Stonielhave been known to take several months to a year to come to a conclusion as the judge and jury go slowly, meticulously through every piece of evidence and witness - cross-examining several times if need be. While on trial for the more serious offences (like murder, water hoarding etc) the accused is placed on a sort of house arrest and forced to wear an ankle monitor as well as being watched 24/7. He/She is still able to go through their day, however, with severe movement restrictions.
	+ The **Judge** in trials is always the King or Queen of the time and the jury is always a randomly selected group of impartial citizens.

### Sentencing Branch

* The sentencing branch of law is by far the quickest procedurally of the three branches.
	+ You are either declared innocent and released with a full pardon, given the thoroughness of investigation this rarely happens if you make it to trial.
	+ You are sentenced to **X** amount of time in the desert prison of Trugenth
	+ **Or** you are exiled from the kingdom with nothing but the clothes on your back and one fair-sized waterskin.
* Courtrooms exist only in the **3 major cities** of the kingdom (Irragin, Bellanau, Grasmere). The other towns and villages must travel to one of these cities should an investigation lead to trial. Generally, portalling is the most efficient and securest form of travel for such times. However, for less serious crimes, a guarded caravan will set out weeks in advance of the trial. This is another reason why the investigative branch is so thorough, to spare the time and resources required for such journies.

## Laws

Laws are either proposed by the ruling family of the time and voted on in parliament, or, most often, written and developed by parliament itself for the ruling family to obey in their judgments.

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