Judgement

This is the day. My trial will be swift, I know this already. The judges will not be understand my reasons or my circumstance. They don't care. I broke the law and that is all that matters to them.

I suppose I deserve it, even though I feel it was justified, but maybe harming someone isn't ever justified. Maybe I went too far stabbing him.

Regardless, I will be sentenced to execution for her death. I know this. The trial is just for show.

~Last words of Tinial Crestfall

The Judges of Crevice

Judges are very powerful people and are selected by the Strata Councils . They will hold their seats for 20-30 years depending on the Stratum. Although there are many variations on each Stratum, there are some consistent factors.

Party of Three

When presiding, the courts will always have three judges during a trial. Two out of the three judges must agree on the verdict for minor crimes. Major crimes require all three to agree to the verdict.
This seems to help in preventing innocent people from being punished. Trials are generally quick, most within a Period (3 hours) or a cycle (day).

The Courts of Crevice

The court system of crevice have been a work in progress for many years. Minor tweaks happen every year and each Stratum tends to make their own rules. This has made things complicated when people travel between them. Over the years some attempts have been made to make the laws more consistent, but this will inevitably revert back to chaos as the councils change. Regardless, the courts have been pretty popular by the general public for being fair and generally unbiased.

Punishment

One of the few things that does stay consistent is the punishment for crimes. There are generally two types of punishment, one for minor crimes and another for major crimes.

Minor Crimes

This ranges for theft (always considered minor despite what was stolen), trespassing and minor injury. These are usually dealt with a sentence of public service. The judges have the leeway to decide how long the sentence is. The judges will hear from the victims and decide the length.
Public service may include helping the poor or working in a research or medical center. Many times judges will force them to work for the victims in some capacity or they will work in the community of the victim. This has become a popular punishment.

Major Crimes

Major crimes usually only involve murder. Regardless of the circumstances a murder judgement always ends in execution. Very few people accused of murder get free of such a charge, although the courts are very careful before such a trial. A murder charge is very serious and judges request a lot of evidence to even hold such a trial.

Type

Government, Law Enforcement