The Magistrate --- Not the Law, but close!

[TullyBBurnalot]

 

So you just spent 45 Karma points and got yourself the single most expensive job on the list, the Magistrate. You probably did this so you could lord all over the nerdlings in Security and rule it like your own personal fiefdom while you let your metabuddies run wild. If so, don't worry: you have been jobbanned already.

 

For those of you who actually want to do your jobs, here's how you go about it:

 

Section 1: Your Job

 

The Magistrate is the single most expensive Karma job available for unlocking, and with good reason. Barring direct orders from Central Command (which rarely get issued, for good reason), he or she is the ultimate authority on Space Law in any given round. Unlike other jobs, which have all sorts of "if"s and "but"s, this is unconditional. No one outranks you when it comes to Space Law. Period. Ever. In perpetuity.

 

Anyone who says otherwise is either misinformed, lying, or being a shitter/comdom. You, as the Magistrate, wield ultimate supreme authority on all matters concerning Space Law. What this means is, if it is in any way concerned with criminal sentences (up to and including executions), you have the authority to overrule anyone except Central Command.

 

For that exact reason, you are under heavy scrutiny at all times. Magistrates caught abusing Space Law or just being generally inept at it don't last long. If you bought this job, it is assumed that you know Space Law inside out, have experience working with Security, are fully capable and able to stand up to regular shittery, and can keep a cool head in all circumstances. You are expected to be the One Sane Man. Anything less is unacceptable.

 

Standard Operating Procedure is outside of your jurisdiction, and just like everyone else, you are bound to it. You hold supreme authority on all matters concerning Space Law. Standard Operating Procedure should be left to the care of the Internal Affairs Agents and the NanoTrasen Representative. It is, after all, their job.

 

You may also not threaten people with demotions as, again, this falls under Standard Operating Procedure. That said, you have access to Command Comms, so if you honestly think someone should be demoted, make your case there. As it stands, you may be the last word when it comes to Space Law, but that's about it. Powerful, but limited.

 

As such, complete knowledge and mastery of Space Law is expected, as is a working knowledge of Standard Operating Procedure.

 

Section 2: Enforcing the Law

 

Your job is not to arrest people. In fact, doing so is a breach of Standard Operating Procedure, and is liable to get you disciplined or even fired. You are a judge, not an officer, and should confine yourself to handling sentencing, not the field work.

 

As such, your main area of operations is the Brig, most notably the Processing Room. While I do not recommend you involve yourself with every last little crime, since most of the time Security is fully capable of dealing with it, keeping an ear to the ground and making sure Security is doing their jobs properly does not hurt. Stick around the Brig and get a taste for how the Officers, Warden and Head of Security are handling prisoners and their sentences. Provide tips where correction is needed, or hammer down the gavel wherever Security just utterly fails.

 

Remember, they do not outrank you when it comes to Space Law. If the Magistrate says someone's sentence is X, Security has precisely zero legitimacy to contest that decision, barring of course circumstances where the verdict flies in the face of conventional logic. If Security refuses to listen to you, contact the Head of Security and get them to put their department in line. If the Head of Security cannot, or does not, do so, contact the Captain. Failing that, the NanoTrasen Representative. If all else fails, and everyone is ignoring you for no good reason, you have a fax machine in your office.

 

The Fax Machine is your direct hotline to Central Command, or, in a more practical sense, the Administrators currently online. All faxes are to be done in-character and as absolutely professional as possible, since poorly formatted or worded faxes are quite likely to receive a "Yeah, no" response. You are a NanoTrasen appointed judge, and it is expected that your communiqués stand a cut above everyone else's. Be concise, be impartial, be informative. Tell Central Command exactly what happened without an excess of details. Do not make demands in your faxes, I cannot stress this enough. Demanding Central Command do something is a surefire way of getting sidelined immediately. Stick to informing Central Command about what's going on and requesting further aid, if possible. Should you happen to be on the receiving end of "MAGISTRATE HAS NO AUTHORITY FUCK" comdomry, feel free to tell us that (in other words, obviously).

 

Should Security actually listen to you, let them handle most minor and medium crimes. Major crimes you should take a more active role in, especially when it comes to Assault of an Officer. Make sure that all the evidence is properly collected, that the person isn't on the receiving end of Shitcurity, and that what they actually did matches with what Security said they did. To this end, the Detective is one of your best friends.

 

As soon as all evidence is collected, issue a verdict. I won't get into the details of sentence stacking, seeing as that's bare minimum Space Law knowledge and is available in the wiki.

 

Do note that Security and Command are not above, or immune to, Space Law. If anyone in Command or Security commits a crime, it is not only your right, but also your duty to make sure they are punished for it. This is especially complicated if it's a high-ranking member of Command, such as the Captain, who will almost never agree to being brigged regardless of the circumstances. The process, however, is simple:

 

 

1. Issue a sentence;

2. Wait for Security to arrest said person;

If Security does not act, warn Command, and remind Security to arrest said person;

If Security still does not act, fax Central Command

 

 

Drastic measures such as these are necessary when sentencing members of Security and Command, seeing as, if they committed a crime in the first place, they're not likely to be the cooperative kind, and both departments have a bad case of refusing to address internal issues. Just remember: provided you have the evidence to back up your sentence, you are in the right. Zero discussion.

 

Section 3: Internal Affairs

 

Despite being listed as part of Security, the Internal Affairs Agents answer to you, and you alone. Together, you form an impromptu "sub-department". Let's call it Justice and Law.

 

While your job is to apply Space Law to the best of your ability, the IAA's job is to make sure that Space Law and Standard Operating Procedure are being followed properly. While it is a good idea to keep an active role in Security proceedings yourself, the IAA is the one who should be handling the actual "auditing", so to speak. While they do not possess any authority themselves, a written report can go a long way towards ensuring proper procedure is being followed. Make sure to keep in touch with your IAAs during the shift, and have them report back to you if they found anything worth mentioning.

 

On a similar note, you and the NanoTrasen Representative should be best buddies. Both of you answer directly to Central Command and operate outside the traditional Chain of Command. Despite what dozens of Craptains may have suggested to you in the past, neither you, nor the IAAs, nor the NT Rep actually answer to him. The IAAs answer to you, who alongside the NT Rep answer to Central Command.

 

The main difference here is that while you have direct, actual authority over all matters concerning Space Law, the NT Rep does not possess any actual authority, and is instead expected to act as an advisor and auditor, making sure that Standard Operating Procedure is being followed. That said, they are the ones most expected to be sending faxes over to Central Command, so if you have a legitimate grievance with Command, or if Command/Security are ignoring you, make sure to talk to the NT Rep before sending a fax yourself. In addition, working in tandem with them and maintaining an active communication channel (via PDA, most likely) is a great way of ensuring the station runs like clockwork.

 

Section 4: Capital Crimes and Antagonists

 

Capital Crimes are when your expertise with Space Law must shine above everyone else's. Capital Crimes are punishable in the following ways:

 

 

1. Permanent imprisonment in the Permabrig;

2. Permanent imprisonment in the Labor Camp;

Execution;

Cyborgization (preferably should be done following a regular execution)

 

 

In addition, the following are the ONLY legal means of execution (assuming lethal force was not used on the field, as permitted by Standard Operating Procedure under certain circumstances):

 

 

1. Electric Chair;

2. Lethal Injection (the actual injections aren't immediately lethal, so you may need help from Chemistry/Science);

Firing Squad (should be done in the Firing Range)

 

 

No other means of execution are permitted. Forced Cyborgization is acceptable, but I would personally recommend doing it after a regular execution. Forcefully removing someone's brain while they are alive falls under the "cruel and unusual" category, and should really be avoided.

 

Also, be aware that only you or the Captain may authorize an execution, and even then you are perfectly capable of overruling them. The same happens for permanent imprisonment sentences.

 

That said, executions should not be your go-to default solution for all Capital Crimes, despite technically speaking it being perfectly legal. Remember that the other person is also trying to have fun playing the game, and immediately executing them because "MUH VALIDS" is incredibly poor form. Just because you can order their execution doesn't mean you should. Cooperative prisoners should be sent to the Permabrig, or maybe even the Labor Camp so they have something to do for the rest of the shift, rather than sticking around in deadchat. Always take into consideration what the person actually did, not what they are, when handing out a sentence to a Capital Crime. Stole the Hand Teleporter with an emag? Permanent imprisonment would be best. Murdered five people with a chainsaw? Zappy zap.

 

Just remember: no one likes a hanging judge. Be lawful, yes, but be just.

 

Section 5: Consequences

 

No doubt during this guide you were left with the idea that the Magistrate is "TEH SUPER HAXXOR BEST MLG SPESS LAW DOOD". While to some extent that sentiment is correct, I would like to bring your attention to two things:

 

1) The Magistrate costs 45 Karma for a reason;

 

2) You yourself are not above Space Law or Standard Operating Procedure

 

As mentioned above, you are not only supposed, but also expected to be, the sane one. You are supposed to be the person that anyone can go to in order to make sure Justice is served properly. In many respects, you are the anchor that holds down Shitcurity.

 

As such, deviating from this path and proceeding to abuse your position will end messily. Pardoning your metabuddies, ignoring crimes done by Command/Security, breaking the law yourself or, worse yet, trying to overrule the Captain and pardoning yourself after a crime (and yes, this has happened to me before, and no, if you commit a crime as a Magistrate, you cannot pardon yourself) are just a few examples of how this job can be abused.

 

So, a small warning: a Jobban is not where it stops. Purchasing the Magistrate and proceeding to abuse it to such a degree that it gets you banned from that job will leave a gigantic black stain on your permanent record, not to mention most likely sour people's impressions of you. Magistrates are expected to be great roleplayers, in addition to knowing Space Law inside out and ensuring Security acts decently.

 

Do not disappoint.

 

[Spacemanspark]

 

I'd forgotten I'd even bought Magistrate a few weeks ago.

Time to load up that IPC character I made especially for this and go play it.

 

[Plotron]

I didn't read it because you kept shouting at the reader.

[Keroman]

 

lol

 

But for reals, I'm definitely interested in trying this job out once I've actually got some Sec experience under my belt. Who knows how long that'll take, though...

Thanks for the guide!

 

[mikecari]

I like this guide. Really gets the point across. Now if only security actually respected the magistrate instead of treating him like a lawyer.

[Jguytriple5]

 

Great guide. But i will keep saying "I am the law" when playing magistrate just because it sounds cool.

 

And according to this guide, i'm one hell of a magistrate. #notsohumblehumblebrag