Ivutohan

Court system and Peace keepers.

Definition

Considered a special operations division of the courts, the Ivutohan are investigators and legal experts that assist judges and cities with keeping the peace and solving various crimes. Their training includes a lot of the same training as the judges, but also includes de-escalation training and conflict resolution. Ivutohan have the authority to bring a person into the court system, where they are then given legal experts to present their case before the local judge (Ivuhewavu).
The local judge works with the community and engages their stakeholders (victims, offenders, those impacted by the crime in anyway), who will testify and offer their thoughts on possible sentences and ways to repair the harm (or what reparations are acceptable). The offender testifies to their reasons and thoughts that led to the crime, whether they are willing to engage in the repair/reparations, and their agreement to be held accountable.
If the offender refuses accountability, the process shifts to an analysis of the evidence that proves they committed the harmful action or not, then alternate sentencing is examined with community input.

Appeal System

Local Ivuhewavu have jurisdiction over cities (which can consist of an entire sector of land) and towns (in a radius of 2 to 4 kilometers around the town). Sectors (Sekivu) are often 4 kilometers in length and width, and only sectors that have a town of at least 500 people have Ivuhewavu. (Often the smaller towns are stuck with just one Ivuhewavu, but larger cities can have multiple people on this court).
If a case is appealed, it goes to the sector judges (Ivusekivu), where these judges are appointed by the leaders of the nation and serve terms that are seven years. They will then trade sectors or go to a lower court depending on the availability of seats.
If a case is again appealed, the case goes to province courts. (Ivuwakovu)
The next appeal ends up before the national court for that country. These are often called the Ivutukovu, and ten people serve on it on a rotating basis, determined randomly through a listing of all available and qualified judges. This list is regularly updated in the database systems based on experience, no misconduct, fair rulings, and no suspicion of corruption. Each person serves a term of seven years, then will leave to serve on a lower court. They will not be up for a chance to serve on the national court until two terms have passed.

Terms of Sentence

When a person is deemed guilty of the infraction, the judges who made the ruling work with the community to set up reparation and restorative justice parameters for the person to achieve in order to be re-instituted back into the community as a full member. This depends on the community and the needs of those people. Victims and offenders are both included in order to determine the best way for the offender to engage in reconciliation, repair, and reparations.
Common sentences have the person working to repair the harm done through a series of community meetings that include conflict resolution experts, therapists, and Ivutohan investigators. The repair of harm can include community service projects.
If the person is unwilling to go through this process, then they will be required to go through an educational and therapeutic program through the Ivutohan facilities that dig into accountability, justice, reparation laws, and collective practices of solidarity. The convicted person is often allowed to leave the facility with a guard accompanying them and a device on their ankle that allows the guard to keep track of them. Once the program is completed, the person returns to the community for meetings on how they can be re-integrated back into the community and build a future there again. If the person doesn't wish to return to their home community, the procedures then prepares them for building a future elsewhere.
Much of the goals in this form of justice involves these pillars: 1. Harms and Needs 2. Accountability and willingness to engage in repair 3. Engagement of stakeholders 4. Follow-thru of goals and plans/programs for repair

Terms and Public Accountability

The Ivukasin (primary Judges), are the top court in all of Elivera and judges work on this court for a period of seven years, and then trade off. There is a list within the central database of the Federation that has a list of all available judges that meet the strict merit and behavior requirements, meaning no judge can sit on the bench if they have been convicted of misconduct or corruption of any kind and failed to go through the restorative justice program; they also must have served as a judge in a lower court for at least seven years to qualify for the primary court. The judges are randomly picked from this list, and rotated off it. A judge cannot serve longer than seven consecutive years, and so they may not come up again for until at least two terms have passed.
Elivera citizens within the Federation can vote to kick a judge off any of the courts, if those votes are at least 70 percent within that voting season. This is a failsafe in case a judge engages in misconduct and/or alleged corruption (that violates human rights).

Public Agenda

Serving the people and keeping the peace.

History

The court system evolved from local judges within smaller towns and city-states. As nations began to form and consolidate, appeals to higher courts required further systems that allowed a case to be re-examined by a different panel of judges. When the Elivera Federation was founded, the primary court became the top-most court that covered the entire planet, drawing judges from all member-states for possible terms.
The Ivutohan grew out of the court system as a way for the community to police and safe-guard itself. Conflict resolution and restorative justice heavily influenced the ideology of the early forms of Ivutohan, and continue to influence their structure and training in present day Elivera.

Type

Court System