Crime and Punishment

In the Golden Age, there was a standardised system of criminal justice which operated with incredible fairness throughout the Empire.
Now things are different.
Each District is responsible for maintaining its own law and order. As such systems of crime and punishment vary depending on the District a crime is committed in.
It should be said, however, that although the implementation of justice is different from District to District, each claims to be upholding the same Imperial Justice.
As a rule of thumb, a crime occurs when someone important enough takes issue with a questionable act you have undertaken.
The more important the person, or the greater the issue taken, the worse things are likely to become for you.
Custodial sentences as we would understand them do not exist in Rastaban.

The Orders are strict, and take a dim view of anything which disturbs the peace.
However, there are some variations depending on which Order of Paladins makes the arrest.
Paladins of the Torch are notoriously incorruptible.
Trials are held in front of five Judges, each representing an Order, and are witnessed by all five Muses.

Generally harsher to crimes involving damage to property or assets.
Generally softer on members of their own House - and others, depending on the political climate.
Often levy heavy fines as punishment.
Each witness in an Estaban trial has a rating dependent upon their wealth and status, with the words of the influential formally given a higher 'score' than others. The scores of those in favour are pitted against those who speak against, and the higher score wins.

Have an exceptionally elaborate and ritualised system of courts and justices.
Possibly the fairest of all the Great Houses.
Telemere courts have a strong focus on performance, with those who are able to give the most rousing, or rhetorically impressive speeches influencing the audience, which in turn influences the powerful House member holding court.
In theory the individual holding court has the final say, but those that ignore the audience do not hold court for long.

Generally softer on members of their own House - and others, depending on the political climate.
Employ a wide variety of planar punishments for crimes.
To accuse one of a crime in Rom is to risk oneself. For if you bring an accusation against someone and fail to convince the court, you must take the punishment that the accused would have received.

Officially, there is no law in the Barrens - no law but street law.
Those who know better whisper of the court of the Thief Lairds; the Court of Keelen.

Outside the Embrace of Empire, the Foresters Guild are responsible for maintaining law and order.
Their justice is a pragmatic justice, and usually revolves around whether or not the crime involved the Wood of Loss and threatened the city.
The Order of the Wheel are officially responsible for enforcing law in their estates, but this has lapsed with the dwindling of their numbers.

Home of the Imperial Court.
One can - technically - always appeal to the Imperial Court if one does not like the judgement that has been given.
This may not be strictly advisable.
The Imperial Court is reputedly the strictest and most terrifying court of justice in Rastaban. Even petty infractions are punished to the letter of Imperial law.
Traitors are always tried in the Imperial Court.

There are certain classes of crime that are Treason.
Examples of these are: taking a Census, leaving one's home during an Intercalary Event, Bodily or Temporal Threat to the Silent Regent or the Council of Seven, Unlawful possession of Black Ichor, publicly purporting to disclose a list of crimes that are Treason.
Suspects are dragged through the Traitor's Gate into the Imperial District by hooded figures which appear from the shadows.
Those guilty of Treason are executed.

You can accept the punishment offered to you by the authority which has arrested you.
Depending on your Wealth, you can try and bribe your way out of the situation.
You can also pay your way out with Favour.
You can resist arrest and try to escape. If you succeed, you are then Wanted in that District, and by the faction that arrested you.
If you have contacts with the authority which has arrested you, you may be able to negotiate a softer sentence, or get them to overlook certain actions.