Stafford Laws

[LiaRK]

[Book 5] Citizen Rights

The County of Stafford will not deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Articles 1 - 5 pertain to all individuals, of all status. (Level 0 - 5)

Article 1. Right to Defense Counsel
Whosoever is accused of a crime in the County of Stafford, shall have the right to a Defense Counsel. This Defense Counsel shall have access to evidence under the right to disclosure, and shall provide mitigating evidence, testimony, witnesses, and may argue points of law regarding the accused's criminal charges only.

Article 2. Right to Trial
No person shall be fined, censured, imprisoned, or otherwise punished without first having a trial as defined by his Majesty the King.

Article 3. Right to Free Speech and Thought
[3.1] The county of Stafford recognizes that its people have:
[3.2] The right to freedom of speech,
[3.3] The right to freedom of political affiliation,
[3.4] The right to freedom of thought,
[3.5] And the right of practicing these freedoms and the ability to express them so long as it does not conflict with Forum Rules, Terms of Service of the Game or any Law of the county of Stafford.

Stafford County also recognizes the right of its people to practice any religion approved by the Throne, so long as their religious activities do not violate Stafford Law.

Article 4. Right to Protection and Justice
[4.1] All citizens have the right to call for protection from the county when the person thinks it is necessary.
[4.2] Any person who has been the victim of a crime which is described in the Legal Corpus of Stafford and has been committed within the borders of the County of Stafford has the right to request legal proceedings.
[4.3] All residents have the right to protection from double jeopardy. No person shall be liable to be tried or punished again in criminal proceedings under the jurisdiction of the County of Stafford for an offense for which he has already been finally acquitted or convicted in accordance with the law and penal procedure of any County in England.
[4.4] All residents of the county of Stafford have the right to appeal to the Court of Appeals provided it fits the Court of Appeals rules.

Article 5. Right to Work and Property
[5.1] Any person living or traveling in the county of Stafford has the right to work in the County of Stafford.
[5.2] Everyone has the right to buy property within the County of Stafford.

[LiaRK]

[Book 6] Justice and Punishment

Article 1. Circumstances
The following clauses allow for a certain level of atonement for a crime, and allows for greater flexibility in the delivery of justice.

Article 2. Accomplice(s)
Any individual proved to be an accomplice in a crime will be charged along with the primary individual that committed the crime. The accomplice will be charged a 'Creative Fine' (5.8 ) at the discretion of the Judge.

Article 3. Repeat Offenders and Multiple Offenses
Anyone found re-offending or committing multiple offenses (See Article 3.1) in the County of Stafford will face a punishment from the next 'Level of Punishment' (Article 5) thus:
Repeat Offense / Multiple Offense of a 'Petty Crime' becomes a 'Moderate Crime,'
Repeat Offense / Multiple Offense of a 'Moderate Crime' becomes a 'High Crime,'
Repeat Offense/ Multiple Offense of a 'High Crime' becomes an 'Infamous Crime,'
'Infamous Crimes' shall remain at the same level as they are the awarded the harshest punishments:'Sanctioned Punishments.'

The punishments used are to be selected from the new 'Level of Punishment' and are at the discretion of the Judge. Further Repeat Offenses will be charged at the same heightened level and not upgraded in 'Level of Punishment' further.

[3.1] Definition of Repeat Offenders and Multiple Offenses
Repeat offenders: individuals who have been convicted of committing a crime and commences to commit further crimes upon release after serving their sentence.

Multiple Offenses: more than one crime being perpetrated by the same individual. This can be multiple instances of the same crime committed in a spree (ie. A robbery on the road between Derby and Lichfield and then another robbery on the road between Lichfield and Coventry) or it could be a number of different laws broken at the same time (ie. Robbery and Murder).

Article 4. Double Jeopardy
No person shall be liable to be tried or punished again in criminal proceedings under the jurisdiction of the County of Stafford for an offense for which he has already been finally acquitted or convicted in accordance with the law and penal procedure of any County in England.

Article 5. Sanctioned Punishments
The following punishments are legally sanctioned under Stafford County law and will be used in the punishment of individuals who break the laws of Stafford. No other punishments may be used. These punishments are divided into 4 different sections each relating to a level of severity in terms of the punishments selected. The levels are 'Petty Crime,' 'Moderate Crime,' 'High Crime,' and 'Infamous Crime.'

[5.1] Exile [Infamous Crime]
The individual will no longer be considered a citizen of Stafford County, they forfeit their rights as defined under that of 'Citizen's Rights Law' (Book 5) . The individual has 10 days from the time the verdict is given to sell their property at fair market value and move out of the County permanently. This deadline may be extended with permission from the Count(ess) of Stafford if the land market in that area is stagnant, as long as a screenshot of the sale price is provided to the Count(ess), showing a reasonable attempt to sell the land.

If a 'Greater Fine' (Article 5.6), 'Lesser Fine' (Article 5.7), or a 'Creative Fine' (Article 5.8 ) is also being issued, the fine amount must have the cost of any abandoned workshops taken into consideration, a fine may be reduced in its entirety if it is not greater than the cost of the lost workshop.

The Judge must consult and discuss the case with the Council and the King before inflicting this punishment. This punishment will be reviewed with His Majesty and as such any infringement of the Exile will result in punishment from the King himself.

[5.1.1] Fair Market Price Calculation
Fair market value will be calculated as an average of the last (up to three) properties that have sold and are displayed in The Last Executed Trades window. If there is only one property displayed, the average will be calculated with the sale price of that property and the current cost of a second field.

In cases where there is no sale precedence for field market, the criminal has the right to sell the field at up to, but no more than, 490,00.

[5.2] Execution [Infamous Crime]
The individual will be executed.

[5.3] Eradication [Infamous Crime]
The individual will be eradicated, this can only be carried out at his Majesty King LongJohnSilver's discretion. (OOC: Only Admin may delete characters).

[5.4] Extensive Incarceration [Infamous crime]
The individual will be held in the county prison for a set number of days, depending upon level. The maximum length of time that an individual may be assigned will come from the following chart:
Level 0: 3 days maximum
Level 1: 3 days maximum
Level 2: 6 days maximum
Level 3+: 10 days maximum

[5.5] Incarceration [High Crime]
The individual will be held in the county prison for a set number of days, depending upon level. The maximum length of time that an individual may be assigned will come from the following chart:
Level 0: 1 days maximum
Level 1: 2 days maximum
Level 2: 3 days maximum
Level 3+: 3 days maximum

[5.6] Greater Fines [High Crime]
The individual will be charged a set fine from the following chart:
-----------County Fine------King's Fine
Level 0: 30 pounds------------45 pounds
Level 1: 90 pounds-----------125 pounds
Level 2: 150 pounds---------225 pounds
Level 3+: 300 pounds------450 pounds

Please refer to '[Article 6] Payment of Fines' for the appropriate details.

[5.7] Lesser Fine [Moderate Crime]
The individual will be fined a set fine from the following chart:
-----------County Fine----King's Fine
Level 0: 5 pounds----------10 pounds
Level 1: 30 pounds--------60 pounds
Level 2: 70 pounds--------140 pounds
Level 3+: 100 pounds-----200 pounds

Please refer to '[Article 6] Payment of Fines' for the appropriate details.

[5.8] Creative Fine [Infamous, High, Moderate & Petty Crimes]
Creative fines may be used in certain circumstances where flexibility is needed in the charging of the fine to cover damages. This type of fine is still subject to the 'County Fine' and 'King's Fine' Clause, meaning that if the amount specified is not paid back through the County Fine system then it is increased by 50% and processed through the Court.

Please refer to '[Article 6] Payment of Fines' for the appropriate details.

[5.9] Tavern Closure [Moderate Crime]
The individual's Tavern will be shut down.

[5.10] Written Warning [Petty Crime]
The individual will be sent a letter from the Mayor, a member of the Town Council, or Judge explaining what the individual has done wrong and how best to avoid such trouble in the future. These letters should be polite, yet stern, and clearly explain what Law or regulation was broken.

Article 6. Payment of Fines
Payments to the county shall be paid through the use of buying from the County Fair. There is a 50£ fee on the county fair, which is deducted from the original fine amount. (Ex. FineX = Goods + 50; FineX - 50 = Goods) The individual may resell the goods that were used to pay for the fine on the town local market.
Payments to the King shall be immediately deducted from an individual's purse. (OOC: Game automatically collects it.)

[LiaRK]

[Book 7] Crimes

Article 1. Public Disorder

[1.1] Grantholder Regulations

[1.1.1] Definitions:

Grantholder - an individual trusted to hold a grant issued by a town mayor or the county.
Rightful mayor - A current mayor elected by his town or placed in office through a sanctioned revolt.
Usurper mayor - The participant in a revolt who has become mayor due to unsanctioned revolt.
Irresponsible behavior on the part of the grantholder - Any buying or selling which is not approved by the issuing authority whether by grant instruction or other communication channels (IG, PM, Messenger). General approval to buy and sell at certain prices may be given in the grant instructions. A usurper mayor does not have the right to give instructions on the usage of grants.

[1.1.2] Regulations

[1.1.2.a] Grantholders should be chosen carefully. They should be individuals trusted by the mayor or the county. Grantholders are expected to act responsibly and for the good of their town or county of issue.

[1.1.2.b] Irresponsible behavior on the part of the grantholder does not automatically make the issuing mayor or county official responsible. The issuing mayor or county official’s innocence or guilt must be proven separately under the Abuse of Power laws.

[1.1.2.c] The rightful mayor or county elected councilors are the only ones who may issue or recall grants.

[1.1.2.d] A usurper mayor has no rights over grants issued by rightful mayors or county councilors.

[1.1.2.e] A grant must be canceled within 24 hours from the time that the request is made. In certain circumstances, this may be altered. These circumstances are as follows:

[1] Communication occurs between the grantholder and mayor or councilor, and an agreement is made to change the cancellation time.
[2] The grantholder is out of town or county. In this case, the grantholder must communicate his circumstances to the recalling official and make preparations to travel back to where the grant may be cancelled, with a reasonable timeline. Once the grantholder is back where the grant may be cancelled, he or she must do so within 24 hours.
[3] The grantholder is inactive. If the grantholder can prove they did not receive the request (i.e. did not log in to game or forum), they must cancel the grant or make acceptable compromises as listed in ([1.1.2.e], [1]) or ([1.1.2.e], [2]) upon receipt of the request.
[4] The request is made by a usurper mayor.

[1.1.3] Instructions in grants are binding and acceptable as legal documentation, except for those grants issued by a usurper mayor.

[1.1.4] The rightful mayor has legal control over all grants issued by a usurper mayor.

[1.1.5] All grantholders must act within the wishes of the rightful mayor of the town of issue, or county councilors of the county of issue. This may be according to the instructions given with the grant, or according to later communication. Requests made by the rightful mayor or county official always take precedence over the grant instructions.

[1.1.6] In the case of a change of mayors in Town Hall, the current rightful mayor has all legal control over grants issued by the preceding mayor(s). The issuing mayor has no control after he or she is no longer in office. Grantholders are to honor the instructions within the grant and not requests of the current mayor in the case of a usurper mayor in office. In the case of a change of county councilors, the current council has all legal control over grants issued by the preceding councilors.

[1.1.7] Grantholders acting under the orders of the rightful mayor or county council may not be found guilty of speculation when buying and selling with the grant funds and goods.

[1.1.8] Grantholder irresponsibility is considered a Moderate Crime [Book 6, Article 5] under the Laws of Stafford and is punishable by Incarceration [Book 6, Article 5.5] and Creative Fines [Book 6, Article 5.8] equal to the loss by the town or county due to the grantholder’s activities. Standard prices posted by the town of issue or the county, according to the nature of the grant, will be used to determine losses.

Exception: This law does not apply under Army invasion and hostile takeover of a town or capitol (Book 8, Article 2).

[1.2] Tavern Law

[1.2.1] Tavern owners have the right to create meals and set prices at their discretion, as long as their menu does not mislead their patrons.
Tavern owners may not charge for an empty menu item.
Tavern owners may not have discrepancy between advertised menu item and actual content (i.e. meat must be meat, fish must be fish, etc.)
Tavern owners may not create and advertise a menu that IG mechanics prevent from working as advertised. Max stats from a tavern menu is 3, when a 1 stat item is placed first and a 2 stat item second. Attempts to add further items will not result in stats for the patron and is misleading.
Tavern owners must respect local price caps and not go over them when creating a menu.
Tavern owners who fail to deliver the announced meals shall receive one warning to replenish their stock or remove the items from the menu, and proof of this has to be sent to the official in charge (mayor, public prosecutor, ... ). If the owner fails to do this then he will be charged with the offense of Fraud.

[1.2.2] Violations are considered a "Petty Crime" [Book 6, Article 5] under the Stafford Laws and may be punished with a Lesser Fine [Book 6, Article 5.7], and/or Creative Fine [Book 6, Article 5.8] equal to the value of loss by the patron per meal not in compliance with the above.

[1.3] Robbery

[1.3.1] Robbery
Any person, group, or army who attacks a traveler on a road in Stafford and takes their goods and/or money will be guilty of public disorder. Robbery is punished by a 'Creative Fine' [Book 6, Article 5.8]) that is equal to the stolen goods of the victim, or their value, to be collected through 'Payment of Fines' [Book 6, Article 6] and repaid to the victim as well as 'Incarceration' [Book 6, Article 5.5] at the level of 'Moderate Crime' [Book 6, Article 5.8].

[1.3.2] If the victim has died as the result of an attack, then the level of crime increases to a 'High Crime' [Book 6, article 5] and the punishment will instead be a 'Creative Fine' [Book 6, Article 5.8], created at the discretion of the Judge, as well as 'Incarceration' [Book 6, Article 5.5].

[1.4] Assault

[1.4.1] Assault is defined as attempted robbery. Any person, group, or army who attacks a traveler on a road in Stafford or a road that connects to a neighboring County, but does not take his/her goods and/or money, is guilty of public disorder. Assault is a 'Moderate Crime' [Book 6, Article 5] and is punishable with a 'Lesser Fine' [Book 6, Article 5.7].

[1.4.2] If the victim has died as the result of an attack, then the level of crime increases to a 'High Crime' [Book 6, article 5] and the punishment will instead be a 'Creative Fine' [Book 6, Article 5.8], created at the discretion of the Judge, as well as 'Incarceration' [Book 6, Article 5.5].

Article 3. Slavery

[3.1] Slavery Act

Slavery is defined as hiring someone for an unacceptable, below-minimum wage job. The minimum proper wage is the minimum wage determined by the concerned Town Hall through decrees; otherwise the minimum wage of the County, which is 15 pounds, prevails. A town's minimum wage cannot be more than 1 pound above the county's minimum wage nor be more than a day's wages in the local mine in the town.

An exception to the minimum wage may be made, with the mayor's approval, for helping another citizen. The County Judge can recognize a private contract for a job paying below minimum wage on the condition that the contract was announced to, and approved by, the mayor of the town.

All mayors must post at the top of the Town Hall message what the prevailing minimum wage is in their town. If the Town Hall has sufficient communication points they must also include any change in the town minimum wage in a mass mailing to the people.

Anyone who has broken the law is given 5 days to reimburse the victim with the unpaid amount. Offender should send a letter to the victim and to the mayor of the town within 3 days of committing the offense to set up a proposal to reimburse the victim. Failure to comply with will above mentioned regulations will lead to prosecution.

Slavery is treated as a light crime and consequently the sentence will be a fine at the discretion of the Judge.

Should any mayor hire militia below the county's minimum wage, they shall be charged with slavery and shall be fined the minimum wage minus the militia wage, multiplied by the number of militia hired [(minimum wage - militia wage) X militia hired].

Article 4. Fraud

[4.1] Creating and using a Monopoly
Creating a monopoly is buying and re-selling goods that are currently on a market at a higher than the purchase price. This is considered a 'Moderate Crime' [Book 6, Article 5] and is punishable with a 'Creative Fine' [Book 6, Article 5.8] Equal to the new cost of the goods, as well as 'Incarceration' [Book 6, Article 5.5].

[4.4] Price Caps
The Town mayor may put Price Caps on goods on their market, with inclusion of the TM in discussions. Any proposed Price Caps must be verified and approved by the Town Council. Price Caps must be clearly displayed in the Mayor's message, as well as a clearly labeled Town Regulation thread in the Town Hall forum. This law is only broken if the goods that exceed the price Cap are sold. Breaking a Price Cap is a 'Petty Crime' [Book 6, Article 5] and is punishable with a 'Creative Fine' [Book 6, Article 5.8] equal to the difference between the Price Cap and the actual price for which the goods were sold, as well as a 'Written Warning' [Book 6, Article 5.10].

All citizens, regardless of status (OOC: level), committing their first offense will have their case settled out of Court and will only be given a 'Written Warning' by the town Mayor. If the citizen fails to respond in a timely manner (no more than 3 resets), prosecution will continue and the offense will be elevated to Petty Crime [Book 6, Article 5.8].

The Council allows price Caps on 'Essential Goods' (Bread, Wheat, Flour and Corn)

Article 5. Traitorousness

[5.1] Treason Act
Treason is defined as an attack on a Town Hall, the County Castle without Council consent, the King and his institutions.

[5.1.1] Council consent may be granted in specific cases on the town level, if the mayor is practicing in an improper manner, is hurting the well-being of his/her town and its citizens, is dead, or in retreat for a good length of time (decided by the populace). Requests may then be made to the Council for an act of revolt to be sanctioned, in which said mayor would be overthrown. The Council will reply within the next 2-3 days; if no reply is given, then the revolt is automatically declined.

[5.1.2] If an individual is proved to have been involved in an unsanctioned revolt, this is considered to be treasonous and as such is a 'Moderate Crime'[Book 6, Article 5], punishable with a 'Greater Fine' [Book 6, Article 5.6] and 'Incarceration' [Book 6, Article 5.5].

Article 6. Betrayal

[6.1] Abuse of Power
Abuse of power can be committed by any official, elected or appointed in the County (mayors or councilors) of Stafford through the following means:

[1] Seeking to hold any public office for the purpose of breaking any law, or to aide in breaking any law.
[2] Seeking, or using the powers of any office, elected or otherwise, to defend oneself against prosecution in this or any other county.
[3] Acting in a way disadvantageous to the people of Stafford as a whole or any town in Stafford.
[4] Unlawfully extending duties in regards to the office as stated in Book 3 of the legal corpus of Stafford.
[5] Committing any deed punishable under the Laws of Stafford.
[6] Gaining any office, elected or otherwise, for the purpose of harassing another citizen or subject of England.
[7] Gaining or using any Office to deliberately cause detriment to any person or organization, for malicious reason.
[8] Using the powers of any office, elected or otherwise, for personal gain, or the personal gain of friends, family or organizations.
[9] Not attempting to fulfill the requirements of any office, elected or otherwise, to which one has chosen to accept. If one is unable to fulfill the requirements of office, one is expected to resign in a timely fashion.
The Council will vote to decide if the infringement is a 'Moderate Crime' [Book 6, Article 5] or a 'High Crime' [Book 6, Article 5].

[6.1.1] Punishment
The Council will vote to decide if the infringement is a 'Moderate Crime' [Book 6, Article 5] or a 'High Crime' [Book 6, Article 5].

If the individual is found guilty and the Level of Crime has been decided upon, then the Judge may select appropriate punishment(s) from the level selected by Council.

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