laws
A crime is any act that violates the law and/or is defined as a crime by the law. Most crimes fit into what are roughly three tiers--minor, moderate, and major--depending on the nature and severity of the crime. An overview and some example crimes are as follows:
Minor Crimes
Things that are technically against the law, but cause little to no harm generally fall into the category of minor crimes. These crimes usually have light sentences, such as a small fine and/or a few nights in jail, and generally don't require going through the process of a whole trial.
Public Drunkenness
Shoplifting
Trespassing
Minor Vandalism
Unlicensed Drug Sales
Moderate Crimes
Anything that's more severe than a minor offense, but still not particularly drastic, usually falls into the category of moderate level crimes. Someone convicted of a moderate crime can expect to pay a sizable fine and probably sped some time in jail, as well.
Vandalism
Harassment/Stalking
Assault
Theft/Robbery
Major Crimes
These are crimes that are considering to be especially offensive, and have sentences that are appropriately heavy to match. The minimum punishment for most major crimes is a hefty fine and a stay of a few years on Lethia; depending on the severity of the crime this can rapidly increase, up to and including a life sentence on Lethia.
Murder
Rape
Arson/Significant Vandalism
Torture
Kidnapping/Human Trafficking
Theft in large amounts
Additional Notes
Note that on Atia, while there are no laws against public nudity or sex in public, actual sex crimes or crimes bordering on them (such as some forms of harassment) are considered to have an increased severity compared to their real-world counterparts. As the Natives view sex as a sacred, consecrated act, anything that would defile that is seen as particularly egregious. This means that crimes such as rape will generally be treated more harshly than might be expected elsewhere.
Also noteworthy, is that because of the unusual circumstances surrounding the collared presence on the island, the collared court has established a rule that a collared cannot be prosecuted for a crime they have no memory of. This is to account for the fact that collared occasionally vanish from the island, only to return with no memories of their previous stay, and that some collared question where or not the individual truly is the same person and not similar but different versions entirely. OOCly, this is so that a player apping a character that had previously been in the game played by someone else and had acquired a lengthy rap sheet during that earlier stay does not need to worry about their character getting thrown into prison for it.
Regulatory Laws and the Black Market
The island of Atia is in many ways extremely lax when it comes to laws. While the basics such as stealing or violence against a person or property are covered, the Natives have never seen in point in outlawing things like weapons or drugs. The only limitation in these areas, in fact, is that it's illegal to traffic in drugs created to do harm without a license granted by the island's council. However as there are legitimate markets for such drugs (ranging from exports to medicinal use) such licenses are quite possible to obtain if one follows the proper procedure and guidelines.
These lax laws, however, do have other consequences: namely, that Atia's port is a popular location to unload, obtain, or trade in goods that are illegal or regulated in other parts of the world. As long as any appropriate fees and taxes are paid, the Natives don't particularly trouble themselves over what may or may not be against the law in other countries, nor what the origin or destination of such cargoes may be. But by that same token, most of the Natives by and large eschew being a party to any such illicit dealings. This has nothing to do with any sense of legality or moral compunctions, so much as a combination of disliking to deal with the unsavory types such business usually is run by as well as looking down on such outsiders as being unworthy of any particular attention.
This means that the trafficking of questionable goods through Atia's ports is largely unregulated, and while popular, lacks any particular efficiency or organization beyond what individual cartels have established for themselves. Collared attempting to learn more about these dealings will have to wade through a quagmire of ever-changing arrangements and associations that lack any sort of structure or common protocol. Of course, should one have the patience, savvy, and lack of scruples to sort out who's who and trafficking in what, it could potentially provide interesting new business possibilities. However, anyone doing so must always keep in mind that the outsiders they're dealing with often have no more respect for Atian traditions and laws than the Collared themselves, and may respond accordingly if their displeasure is roused.
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