So, what would justice systems look like in hard SF settings? Personally I think it could be one of the more interesting aspects of the setting. What if there are alien cultures? Would certain elements from these cultures be incorporated into human legal systems - off course by human I mean, something recognizable to humans now.

Ideas?

Regards,
David R

Anything's possible.

In a society where the technology might allow anyone to build a WMD with commonly available items, prevention might be the only goal of law enforcement. People judged teven be potentially dangerous might be incarcerated, or lobotimized, for the good of society.

Other societies might monitor the availability of items that could be used to make potent weapons to the point it becomes impossible to buy a stick of gum without it being logged and recorded. (My older post about the nightmare of a cashless society where ALL transactions require a card touched on this.)

In a space faring society people might choose to live in small groups, isloated from others if the technology allows it, this could reduce crime considerably.

For an example of a justice system that has become worse than the crime it fights, see the judge dredd comics and RPG.

In a society with great injustice and inequity of wealth, causing the usual anger and despair among the masses, suicide crimes might be commonplace a speople with nothing to lose and sick of life might commit suicide bombing crimes or suicide by cop type attacks. In such a society the "justice' system will be nothing more than a high tech thug army meant to protect the rich from those they oppress and exploit.

In a more enlightened society the justice system might be based on preventing injustice and abuses that leads people to commit crimes of anger.

Crime prevention could begin in school, with all children being screened for anti-social or violent tendencies and treated in various ways. However such treatment in an of itself could drive some people over the edge.

Remember one thing: Thruout history advances in law enforcement have been hailed as the end of crime. Fingerprinting tech was supposed to be a deathblow to crime, it wasn't. Wiretaps, the so-called "lie detector", laws such as RICO, improved surveilance technology, DNA matching and a host of other things have all been hailed as new ways to end crime, and they haven't.

The only way to end crime is to make it impossible for people to do anythign which is illgal, and doing so would meand they could not live as recognizable human beings.

The justice system is going to be closely tied to the political system, is it a totalitarian military government, is it a corporate police state,  or a collection of free colonies trading with one another for the necessary supplies.

Military government: All colonies and citizens are subject to the military code of justice, and trials would be court marshals.

Corporate Government: The corporation is the law, and trials  unless you have a contract are a quick trip through the airlock without a pressure suit.

Free Colonies: Justice is administered by local authorities, and may range from trial jury to lynch mobs.

You know how people exploit the vagaries of international law and disputed sovereignty and such? It's a big universe. Without an empire or three, you're going to be seeing alot of that.

Quote from: David RSo, what would justice systems look like in hard SF settings? Personally I think it could be one of the more interesting aspects of the setting. What if there are alien cultures? Would certain elements from these cultures be incorporated into human legal systems - off course by human I mean, something recognizable to humans now.

Ideas?

Regards,
David R

This is something I actually give a lot of thought to especially in Nebuleon. There I have the republic of Free Worlds (RFW). They are the most vanilla of laws and much like a UN in that they are limited in their effect. However, unlike the UN they maintain and independently funded and supported police, army, and exploration corps. The Gren and their Empire dominate the RFW but do not control it.

As for each culture, they have individual laws and methods of policing themselves that are uniques to their culture. The Mog have no concept of a controlled substance but they also have a ridiculously low addiction rate. Drugs are looked on as recreation or medicine. The Balek have no laws against theivery but allow for revenge killings and robberies. So, essentially, you can steal from someone but you forfeit your right to protection from harm under the law. Murder is not legal but a revenge killing is not considered murder.

Judicial prosecution varies as well. The Gren consider imprisonment a far worse punishment than death. Their prisons are harsh int he higest degree and always have an element of labor involved. Working outside is a privilege while being imprisoned in a relatively comfortable cell would be considered harsh. The Mog have no prisons only treatment facilities. The chemically re-educate you so that you are prohibited from performing that crime again. Very Clockwork Orange. The Dremin, a former slave race, consider forced labor distasteful to the point of viewing it as obscene. However, they have no problem treating their prisoners as fodder for experiments, janissaries or worse. Convicts loose all identity in the Dremin society.

Anyway, I could go on. It is a subject that, to me, defines a major part of the feel of your society. You can judge a society by how they treat their prisoners.

Bill