User:Fosstar/Guide To Trials

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When the courtroom isn't being used to host cult meetings or public executions, it can commonly be found hosting the mockery of legal procedure that NT dares to call a trial. Should you be one of the unfortunate souls called upon to serve as a juror, prosecutor, defendant, or, god forbid, judge, this guide will help you understand your obligations before the inevitable bombing.

Introduction to law

The law is complicated and esoteric. Though you're not expected to understand all of this, a basic understanding is useful during a trial. Remember, your goal isn't to get an innocent person locked up, or to "win," it's to find the truth. It's not what you know, it's what you can prove.

Basic Concepts

A trial is a hearing with the goal of determining whether a defendant is guilty or not guilty. Each trial has a judge who makes sure people are following the rules and keeps the trial going, normally the captain/HOP, a jury who decides as a group on guilt or innocence based on a simple majority vote, generally just schmucks who walk in off the street, a prosecutor, who argues NT's case, generally either a security officer or the HOS, and a defendant, who argues their case for their innocence along with their lawyer. Every trial works off of a few basic rules:

  • The defendant is always innocent until proven, beyond a reasonable doubt, to be guilty. This means the judge and jury should treat the defendant like a law abiding citizen and the prosecutor like a nerd spouting nonsense until they prove otherwise.
  • The defendant has a right to a speedy trial. This means that the judge should keep things moving and not let stuff get held up.
  • The defendant has a right not to be tried twice for the same crime. This means that if someone's found innocent of murder, they're innocent. Even if you find out they did it, tough luck, they get to ride to centcom a free spaceman.

Timetable

This timetable should keep a trial from lasting for the entire round, but it's not set in stone. Use whatever works best for the round you're in.

  • 1 minute - The Captain announces the trial and calls for a jury, HOP closes their line and gets their robes on to Judge, security moves the defendant to the courtroom, prosecutor and defendant introduce all their evidence and witnesses.
  • 3 minutes - Prosecutor and defendant present their opening statements. These statements explain what they will prove throughout the trial. No legal arguments are allowed in opening statements. Max time of 1:30 for each statement, should be timed by the judge.
  • 3 minutes - Physical evidence is introduced and explained to the jury.
  • 5 minutes - Witnesses testify about the crime. Each side should get a maximum of 3 witnesses, including a maximum of one character witness.
  • 3 minutes - Each side is allowed to cross examine the other's witnesses and ask them clarifying questions about their testimony.
  • 3 minutes - Prosecutor and defendant present their closing statements. These statements wrap up their arguments and may reference evidence/testimony. Jury is asked to render a verdict.
  • 1 minute - Sentencing.


Basic Terms

These are the most common terms that you'll hear in a trial.


Guilt

Guilt is the state of being resposible for a crime. People can either be guilty, meaning they committed a crime and it wasn't an accident, or not guilty, meaning they didn't commit the crime, or it was an accident. Guilt requires two elements, which are listed as scales below along with examples: (Keep in mind much of this is modified and simplified)

Guilty Mind

Mens Rea or Guilty Mind is a term for the state of mind the defendant was in during the crime. The more Mens Rea someone has, the more they deserve punishment. Accidents deserve less punishment than planned crimes.

Guilty Act

Acus Reus or Guilty Act is a term that measures the responsibility for a crime the defendant has. Someone who tried to blow the captain's head off with a shotgun and failed miserably doesn't deserve the same punishment as someone who actually did it.


Evidence

Evidence is the combined materials that establish guilt or innocence in a trial. All evidence must be legally obtained, clear, and directly relevant to the trial. The most compelling evidence is either a direct confession or strong forensic links to a crime scene. The least compelling is hearsay or gossip. Examples of evidence for or against a murder is below:

Evidentiary Objections

If evidence is obtained through security acting illegally, if it's weak, or if it could bias the jury, it can be excluded. To exclude this kind of evidence, object when the prosecution mentions it, and state your case to the judge.

Defenses: [TODO]