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So, here we are again... The topic of Consequences has been approached from nearly every angle. It's time we discuss it from the perspective of realistic solutions. I ask that participants in this thread remain civil, because the staff has locked many such threads after only one vitriolic reply. I'd like to begin with a series of assumptions I am making about the state of how Criminal Justice works with Los Santos Roleplay. LSRP used to have a system of "days in prison" for offenses, circa 2011 and earlier. We changed to a system of "minutes in prison" around 2011 or 2012 because many players were spending their time primarily offline. This coincided with the creation of the DOC faction around 2011 or 2012, since Corrections was now a viable means of roleplay. Currently, we have a system whereby a person can go to prison on charges and sit there AFK or semi-AFK or use a laying animation in their jail cell bed until they're out. Seldom do people roleplay in Prison, and when they do they do so with no fear of consequences. Going to solitary is no true punishment, because it's just a place where they can AFK with no chance of anyone trying to roleplay with them. There is an incredibly unrealistic amount of felony crime happening in Los Santos. It has been quipped by many that such levels of crime would immediately lead to Martial Law, and it's hard to argue with that logic. People murder, rob, and deal drugs and all they really suffer is a type of OOC time-out in the State Prison while they edit the screenshots or video footage from their last gun fight or brawl. Rather than face the consequences of prison or jail, many players would simply prefer to turn and shoot at the police - even for minor offenses such as traffic stops. The server administration has permitted this to get out of hand, to the point where it has become status quo. The excuse people use constantly is "it's just a game", "I just want to enjoy the 2 hours of free time I have", and so on. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - What can be done? "Without Rules, we are nothing but animals." -Socrates "There are those men who say to repay evil with kindness. But I say, how then are we to repay kindness? Repay kindness with kindness, but repay evil with justice." -Kong Qiu Only with an understanding that there is a problem with the way criminal justice works on Los Santos Roleplay do we have even a shred of hope in fixing it. I have a four part proposal that I sincerely believe would fix a lot of the problems we are facing. First, change "minutes in prison" to "days in prison". This will incentivize roleplaying in prison because you cannot AFK for multiple days in a row... plus, that's boring. In my view, if you want to roleplay as a criminal that should also mean roleplaying in prison when you are inevitably caught. Of course, the alternative to roleplaying in prison is always be better at crimes and don't get caught. Second, add pleading to the jailing process. When a person is taken to jail by a law enforcement officer, the jailed player should be given an item in their inventory that states the charges. This is known in real life as the "rap sheet". It would allow the player to carry their sheet with them through the process, and to always know what they are charged with. Additionally, they should be shown the following two forms: (1) a rap sheet; (2) a pleading form. When a person pleads not guilty to at least one charge, they will receive indefinite imprisonment (time does not decrease for the charges they plead not guilty on). Additionally, the District Attorney's Office is notified via Discord that they must file the charges as a court case. If they don't file the charges within a few days, the person can notify the court and be released immediately. Third, add bail to the imprisonment process. If a person pleads not guilty, they will receive indefinite imprisonment until they win their court case. If they have pleaded not guilty to everything, and there are no charges that prevent bail, the person can bail out by paying the fee for the specific charge. In the example (left), the charge of First Degree Murder prevents bail so this person would not be able to bail out. However, most charges other than Rape, Murder, Terrorism, etc. will have a bail amount that is potentially very high. This serves as a "way out" for people who want to go back to their gang life immediately, or who sincerely believe they didn't commit the crime. If the person is found not guilty by the court, they will get this money back. Fourth, add life imprisonment after three convictions for felonies. If a person is a career criminal, they should face life imprisonment. Unless they are convicted of certain "no parole" offenses, they should be able to earn parole at the discretion of the DCR faction. For this, I am not saying if a person is taken to prison once with three felonies -- I am saying three separate times going to prison with felony charges, and either pleading or being found guilty of those felonies. This can be a pivotal moment in the character development of any illegal roleplayer, because it can have major effects on their gang. If the leader or multiple members of a street gang become "three strikes lifers" that might severely weaken the gang and open them up to attack by a rival. Why does this need to be done? One common response to these sorts of "ultra-realism" suggestions is "it's just a game", "I only have 2 hours per night to play, I don't want to waste time in prison"... Roleplaying is not just about the stories we want to tell with our characters. Instead, it is sometimes about the stories others tell with our characters or how all of our collective character stories fit into one larger "meta-story" of the whole LS-RP universe. If people are not willing to see their actions all the way through to the end, they shouldn't take those actions. If a person wants to roleplay a criminal, they must roleplay the whole life of crime and not just the parts they want to. Roleplaying as a criminal means facing that character facing the consequences of crime. Of course, people could still roleplay their characters having no fear and shooting at the cops but that is a separate issue to this one. This suggestion, instead, seeks to solve the problem of unrealistic amounts of crime. The Boyz n the Hood style of roleplay ought to have steep in-character consequences.
