The following amendment shall be considered.

Article 5: Justice


Section 1 - Criminal Code
1. Treason shall be defined as plotting against the Coalition, seeking to lower the delegate's endorsement count without his or her consent, breaking the endorsement cap after receiving an official warning, aiding any entity in which the Coalition is taking defensive action against, or any entity in which a state of war exists with.
2. Identity fraud shall be defined as a deception made of one's self, or knowingly abetting in another's claims to a false identity, wherein this fraud threatens the security of The South Pacific, or circumvents the laws and legal processes of The South Pacific.
3. Espionage shall be defined as an act of or attempt to obtain information that is confidential or not made publicly available for use by oneself or an entity one represents. Distribution of private information that originates on the South Pacific Forum without the express written permission of the Cabinet of the South Pacific shall be considered Espionage.
4. Blackmail shall be defined as demanding private gains from a player in return for not revealing compromising or injurious information.
5. Miscarriage of Justice shall be defined as a deliberate perversion of the justice system - conduct which prevents the judiciary from reaching a true and just result.
6. Organised crime shall be defined as involvement in a group or association with the intent of committing an unlawful act in The South Pacific.
7. Corruption shall be defined as the misuse of public office for private or personal advantage.
8. Electoral Fraud shall be defined as a manipulation of the democratic process in The South Pacific, wherein an organised body of abettors conspire to obtain citizenship with the intent to vote for private or personal advantage. 
9. Vexatious Charges shall be defined as the filing of criminal charges against another player despite the filing party's knowledge that that said charges were meritless, frivolous, repetitive, and/or burdensome. 
10. Conduct violations shall be defined as breaking in-game NationStates rules.

Section 2 - Penal Code
1. If found guilty of an act of treason, the offending nation will be immediately banned from the in-game region and offsite forums.
2. Conduct violations are punishable by immediate ejection and banishment from the region, albeit punished parties may appeal this decision to the court. In most cases, nations that appeal the decision and apologize should expect to have their ban lifted.
3. If found guilty of any other crime listed above, the Judiciary will determine a sentence. The sentence must be proportionate to the offense.

Section 3 - Parole
1. After serving at least one year of a ban from the region and/or the regional forum, convicts may apply for parole to a parole board.
2. Said parole board shall consist of the Chair of the CSS, Chief Justice of the High Court and the Chair of the Assembly.
3. The parole board may decide to recommend parole to convicts, provided a majority of its members support this motion; this decision should consider the security of the region and the genuine willingness of the convict to reform their behavior.
4. If parole is granted, the regional and/or forum ban shall be revoked and the individual shall be allowed to reside in The South Pacific.
5. After six months of residency, the individual may apply for citizenship, albeit with a prohibition on holding office. 
6. While on parole, the special parole board can decide at any time, by majority vote, to revoke an individual’s parole; this decision should consider the security of the region and the contributions of the individual to the region. 
7. After six months of citizenship, the individual may apply to the parole board for the prohibition on holding office to be lifted. The parole board can grant this motion, provided a majority of the board supports – and in doing so, the individual will no longer be held under any conditions of parole.
8. At each point of the parole process, prior to the parole board's decision, the Assembly shall be informed of a request and citizens shall be allotted one week to formally present briefs to the parole board regarding to the convicted, their past crimes and the appropriateness of parole. 
9. Changes to the parole system shall not affect the current status of parolees. Although any new procedure shall be followed hereafter.

Voting shall last three days and conclude on March 02, 5:10 PM EST; passage requires 50% support.

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15-0, this has passed.

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