Anouncement

 IMPORTANT - Please Read

Tue, Aug 12 2025 9:30:16 AM SLT

After a month of observing and thoughtfully reviewing process, as well as receiving feedback from many, I'm putting a few processes in place to increase awareness within the office. Some of the attached will be relaxed as we start to work together more efficiently. 

Additionally, welcome to Lady Kati, who is eager to work with all of us on record-keeping and, when warranted, conducting witness interviews. 

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Buckle up, because this one is going to be a long, but necessary message.

1. Case load, case assignments, investigations.

In order to coordinate and maintain proper record-keeping, all reports of incidents or complaints must be accompanied by a formal incident report and sent to the High Magistrate's office. If you don't have a copy of an incident report, let me know. When completed, these should be submitted to me or to Kati Evans. I will assign cases, based on workload and potential conflicts of interest. 

No cases should proceed until they've been logged and assigned. Exception - see point 2 below.

Current known cases on my desk:

Charges of Assault = a warrior forcefully grabbed a free woman's arm. This will require investigation and interviewing of witnesses, as well as a possible physician's report. 

Lady Winter's attack. While this case is technically closed, I'm working toward an interview with her to place a final seal on it. 

Lady Soha's Failure to obey a lawful order - I issued a warrant for her arrest, should she appear in Selnar again.

Are there others? I have a potential case for Ecclesiastical Law, but am waiting to get more information on that. 

2. Acknowledging that SL Gor rp moves quickly, and infractions of our city laws should be dealt with quickly, when an incident is a minor offense, or a criminal caught in the act,  it can be handled immediately. You should proceed with applying the law and sentencing on the spot. Be 100% certain a law has been broken. Provide the specific law to the person. 

Please note. NO magistrate should render immediate judgment of a citizen or known Selnar resident, if that sentence is death or enslavement. This should happen after a formal hearing (public or private, with or without legal advocacy), and, even then, the accused has the right to an appeal of the sentence. Non-residents can be sentenced at your discretion. On an OOC level, please be mindful of punishments that deter people from joining the sim. Of course, punishment should fit the crime. ICA=ICC. Be creative with your sentencing. Not everything should result in death or enslavement.

3. Communication. If a citizen comes to you with a grievance or reporting an incident, I must be made aware of this, so we can place it in our list of active cases. Communicate. Lady Kati Evans is available to leave documentation, and you can always put it in our IC channel in Discord. I expect regular progress updates. In return, I'll make sure we are publishing amongst our group the status updates of every active case. This ensures none of us is left empty-handed when asked about the case. 

Regarding communication to others. Cases shouldn't be public knowledge. The status of a case is not to be disseminated outside of the approved channels. Those who have the right to know a status are as follows: 

The Ubar

The High Admiral

The Quartermaster

The case-assigned Legal Scribe (clerk or advocate)

Any Magistrate

Any High Council member, but only if the case involves a member of their caste as either accused, victim or witness.

Under no circumstances should anyone speak to the "press" about a case, other than general "we are working on it" answers. Specifics leaked could hinder an investigation.

4. Public Trials 

Public trials should only occur for high profile cases or cases where a majority of the city will benefit from seeing justice in the works. As such, all cases must be reviewed by the High Magistrate (or designee) prior to holding a public trial. 

5. Public Sentencing 

Public sentencing can often be a deterrent to criminals and serves as a reminder to residents that the law can protect them, but protection comes with responsibilities. Use your discretion on this. If a public sentencing will serve as a message to the city, then call one. 

It's important to understand that a public sentencing means you've already weighed evidence and made a determination. The structure of this event would normally be, calling of an assembly, a reading of the law violated and description of the offense, and a reading of the sentencing. (We've already covered death and enslavement cases. If we've gone to the point of that as a sentence, the wording for residents should include that they have a chance to appeal before the final penalty occurs).

If you want to give the guilty person a chance to speak, that is your option, but they aren't being tried at this point. A final statement should be brief. They've already had their 'day in court.'

NOTE: The above is a mixture of OOC and IC. I acknowledge that. Where it prompts IC discussion, make an appointment with me so we can discuss. Everything is negotiable, with the exception of assigning cases and holding public trials. 

I am keeping my weekly online calendar in my profile. I can, occasionally, make space for 1:1 rp with all of you to move things forward.

Thank you, in advance, for your consideration of the above.