Sol Code of Uniform Justice

The Sol Code of Uniform Justice, or SCUJ, is a code of law and behavior for individuals in the Defense Forces or Uniformed Services. Soliciting someone to commit a crime, accessory to a crime, attempts to commit a crime, and conspiracy to commit a crime are to be treated as if the perpetrator committed the crime.

Conduct expectations

The highest principles of the SCUJ, which members of the Defence Forces and other Uniformed Services swear to uphold in their oath of enlistment or commissioning, are:

• To bear allegiance to the Sol Central Government.
• To support the Sol Central Government against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
• To obey the lawful orders of the Secretary-General and the orders of appointed superiors according to regulations and the Sol Code of Uniform Justice.

This includes uniform and behaviour standards.

Crime in the Sol Central Uniformed Services & Forces

Applicability

Aboard the Torch, the Sol Code of Uniform Justice applies to:

• The Expeditionary Corps.
• The Fleet.

Individuals subject to the SCUJ are eligible for trial under court martial, including a field court martial (aboard the vessel).

Punishment

Punishments according to the Sol Code of Uniform Justice are divided into two categories:

• Judicial punishments involve conducting a court martial, normally due to greater greater offences or high crimes under SCGL. They are enforced by officers and assigned personnel.
• Non-judicial punishment (NJPs) are used for lesser offences. They are enforced by officers and non-commissioned officers on those subordinate to them.

Masters at Arms should be available to assist line officers in enforcing judicial punishments, but should not pursue enforcement of NJPs on their own.

Summary justice

In the event of imminent loss of a position, vessel, or facility (Code Delta), line officers and those they specifically authorize may summarily charge, sentence, and punish individuals subject to the SCUJ for violations of SCGL or the SCUJ. Punishments up to and including execution are permitted.

Non-judicial punishment

The SCUJ allows officers and non-commissioned officers to administer NJPs upon their subordinates at their discretion for lesser offenses of SCUJ. Generally, an officer will not personally give NJPs, instead allowing non-commissioned officers of their unit to handle discipline.

These are the most common NJP's, however, NJP's are not restricted to this list.

• Forfeiture of pay: Similar to a fine in practice, docking some or all pay for a certain length of time.
• Relief from duty: Being removed from a position of authority or responsibility. This can only be applied to officers by the CO (or XO in their absence), or to enlisted by officers.
• Extra duty: Generally grunt work for the purposes of punishment, like janitorial work, or replacing all of the meteor-protection grilles. You’re restricted to duty that doesn’t violate laws against maltreatment.
• Diminished rations: Looks like you’ll miss the chef’s cooking when you’re eating only liquid food for the next week.
• Reduction in rank: A maximum of two ranks can be removed, this only applies to enlisted.
• Reprimand: Entirely RP chewing-out, written or verbal.

Officers may only have forfeiture of pay and relief from duty applied to them.

Creative punishments

Player designated punishments are also possible forms of NJPs. Creative punishments vary greatly, and can range from the typical “Drop and give me 50!” to other more inventive punishments. It’s unlikely physical training punishments would be used outside of a training environment by anyone other than a complete asshole, but something like forcing a crewman who harassed the chef to be the chef’s subordinate for the shift would be more likely to occur.

Judicial punishment

In the event of a greater offence, the SCUJ provides that a court-martial must be conducted to determine guilt and sentence. Generally speaking, a court martial should be conducted at a proper SCG facility in Sol. In the event that there is some urgent or exigent reason, a Field Court Martial may be conducted, though this is the exception and not the rule. In normal operating procedures, the accused should simply be issued a summary NJP and either confined or simply relieved of all duties and access until such a time as the vessel can return to port.

Individuals subject to the SCUJ may also be tried and punished via court martial for high crimes under SCGL, with the maximum punishment applicable listed by SCGL.

Expeditionary Corps

The Expeditionary Corps, given its position as non-military uniformed service, has limitations on judicial punishment:

• Expeditionary Corps members can only be executed by court martial if the greater offence is committed during code red.
• Members of the Expeditionary Corps cannot be executed via court martial for lesser offences.

The only exception to this regulation is on code delta or in other situations where summary justice may be authorized.

Offences

Greater offences (judicial punishment) are in red. Lesser offences (NJP) are not.

Offense	Description	Notes
Abandonment of Duty	To abandon a post or Duty without permission, without the intention of returning.	Fairly serious, if committed during lower alerts, confinement until transfer is appropriate. If committed during an attack, or high alert, execution is not uncalled for. This also applies to members of Security using intoxicants (alcohol, drugs, etc) on duty as well as crew purposefully aiding hostiles during an attack.
Assaulting or Disobeying an Officer	To directly disobey a lawful command given by an Officer, or to attack them while they are carrying out their duties (Which is pretty much all the time, does not apply when security has to arrest an Officer).	Can only be applied to Enlisted, depending on the severity, confinement until transfer may be appropriate, otherwise brig time tends to suffice.
Mutiny/Sedition	To openly oppose, seek to radically change, or overthrow a lawful authority. To promote insurrection against the lawful order through speech, organization, or overt actions.	If found guilty of mutiny, execution is the standard course of action unless there are major extenuating circumstances. This charge applies to crew attempting to overthrow the government/command of a vessel.
Absence Without Leave (AWoL)	To be absent from, or leave a place of duty without authorization.	Distinct from Abandonment of Duty because someone who is AWoL intends to return, or did not intend to miss duty.
General Article or Conduct Unbecoming	General Article (enlisted) or Conduct Unbecoming (officers). To commit conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline or to commit conduct unbecoming of an officer.	Basically, the charge applied when they haven’t technically broken a rule, but you know they’re doing something wrong, or they're an officer acting unprofessionally. This also covers fraternisation, which is forming an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate.
Insubordination	To knowingly disobey an order given by a superior.	Disobeying orders given by superiors that aren’t Officers, or being uppity to superiors.
Failure to Obey an Order, Procedure or Regulation	To fail to obey or follow an official regulation or order.	This includes Uniform Regs/Conduct as well as Arrest/Trial procedure and more importantly includes Obeying an Unlawful Order. Note that unlike Disobeying an Officer, an offender does not need wilful intent to violate this article. This also includes failing to accept and receive medical treatment.
Mishandling and Negligent Use of Equipment	To, through negligence or intent, misuse dangerous equipment in a manner that could harm others, sell or lose SCG property or fail to properly secure dangerous equipment.	Don't shoot mice with a laser pistol or play with captured hostile gear or sell your department equipment to the trader.

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