In the Federation, if a criminal was sentenced to more than ten years in prison, that meant they were a serious offender.
They had to be held in a special prison specifically for serious offenders.
If someone received a sentence of more than fifty years, they had no hope of ever getting out in their lifetime. They would spend the rest of their lives in prison.
In the Federation's judicial system, imprisonment had no upper limit. There was no precise maximum sentence that could be reached.
For example, if someone should have been sentenced to 120 years, they might only receive a 100-year sentence because that was the maximum.
No.
There was no such rule, so some people in the Federation could receive sentences lasting hundreds or even thousands of years.
As for why they were not sentenced to death, perhaps the juries or judges believed that although their crimes were serious, they did not warrant taking their lives. So they gave them an absurdly long sentence instead.
Of course, if they had money, that could be arranged too. Someone sentenced to death could instead receive a long prison sentence, then be transferred to a private prison with private rooms, bathtubs, televisions, room service, and the right to make paid calls every Thursday.
Ten years and fifteen years were actually not that different.
Judging from what was happening in Nagaril, quite a few people met the criteria for execution.
After a moment of silence, someone asked softly, "Wouldn't that be too harsh? We'd be ending the lives of many people because of this."
The Chief Justice's rebuttal came quickly and forcefully. "But in doing so, we protect the lives and property of even more people. In a chaotic society, we should advocate strict sentencing standards."
"Only by raising the cost