I, Ealdorman Mark Accynnafon of the House Accynnafon of Östlaed declare my candidacy for the Minister of Justice.
Accomplishments
During my time on the server (I can't believe I've been here for 8 mercannums already!) I have contributed to a great many aspects of the server. My activity and commitment to the forums, the community, to growing the community, and in game activities are second to none, and I am most glad to be able to contribute to such an amazing community.
With regards to legal accomplishments, the realm of Östlaed has been instrumental in the creation of new laws since my days as a "serf." The creation of an improved name for our first rank was my first major political victory. I was instrumental as well in helping to develop the laws on fast travel. As time progressed, I became involved and an indeed authored a great many laws.
A few of the major laws I contributed to greatly, or outright guided the discussion and helped to further (those I started are underlined):
* Rewriting the Imperial Codex from ancient texts * Wolf laws * Fire spread * Fast travel * Serf renaming * Land Claims Act * Improved activity laws * Age Limits' * Mob spawning plugin rewriting * War Act Changes * Ascension voting requirements
Additionally, I have recently initiated discussion to help improve our legal system:
* The creation of a sentencing appeals process * Establishing custody of evidence from judicial proceedings.
My crowning legal achievement, however, is the creation of a proper Order of Trial to ensure equality of the defense and the prosecution in trials. I enrolled in several legal courses during university to determine my desire to pursue a legal career, which I used to create this proper Order of Trial. My inspiration, unfortunately, was the trial of Duke Siden Rua after the Egging of Wysteria during which I witnessed our lack of framework to ensure the equality of the defense and prosecution, as well as the ability for the Judge to keep the trial ordered and in order.
The actual trials that have occurred after this creation of the Order of Trial have been immensely fairer (this isn't to say they were perfect, however, I will outline my goals later). During the Trial of the Regent and the Trial of Warlord Kuhtu, I presided as the prosecution for the Mercurian Empire. These trials had a proper framework for the Judge, defense, and prosecution to do their parts. Hopefully in the future we do not have to use these parts, but the Order of Trial will also serve very well in cases were the full evidence and arguments of either side are actually used.
My other accomplishments with ministry duties include achievements I'm very proud of. Despite only serving as the Minister of Culture for a short time, I've served other Ministries during my 8 Mercannums here:
Ministry of Civil Engineers and Surveyors * Creation of a new nether map from scratch, including updating inaccuracies * Creation of new nether lines in Casadia, Ostlaed, Wychwood, The Imperial Isle, Ardol, Erikos, and Pyrencia * Creation of a new nether hub at the Eastern Realms Hub * Re-digging the black line and connecting it to both Laghima, Pyrencia, and Ardol * Improved lines such as the Xorlosch line to make them safe
Ministry of History * Fixing the calendar system * Creation of monthly calendars to help improve accuracy * Creation of monthly history summaries * Research through the old wiki to help recreate a history of the Dark Age * Hosted a lore, history competition
Ministry of Applications and Settlements * Organized and conducted the Fall 2016 application drive, and according to some, the most successful application drive * Welcomed over 20 new individuals to the server, many of which I personally equipped with armor, tools, weapons, seeds, food * Welcomed many new applicants to realms other than my own, including helping them find their own place to settle
Ministry of Culture * Studied the languages of the Empire and organized them into an attractive chart * Helped to organize the history of the movements of people of the Mercurian Empire
Goals and Commitments
We, as a community, have made much progress over the last few Mercannums in improving our justice system. However, we can always improve:
Community Sentencing Input My first goal is to improve how we sentence. If elected Justice Minister, I would help to move away from imprisonment as much as possible. I believe that a system where minor crimes are punished via community works - such as gathering materials for the Imperial Isle, or constructing nether tunnels - is the preferred and traditional sentence. These sentences would rely on community input, as they have in the past. My community input on sentencing would rely on two parts:
* The Jury. Even in the event of a trial where the defendant pleads guilty, I would have the jury discuss and decide the sentence for the defendant. I would also urge them to consider our traditions, as well as a movement to helping re-integrate criminals versus imprisoning them.
* The Council. In the event of a potentially controversial case, as Justice Minister, I would seek their advice in a sentence to present to the jury during a trial.
Pending the passing of a new sentencing appeals law, I feel this process would help to ensure non-biased and constructive sentencing for those found guilty of crimes. I would seek to remove myself, as Justice Minister, from the actual sentencing decision, but instead help the community (either the jury or the Council) to agree on the course of action that achieves growth in the community, despite the occurrence of a crime.
Presentation of Evidence aka Arraignment This is a topic I feel we have much to improve on, at least from my experience. As Justice Minister, I would ask for prosecutors to present the full evidence and their associated list of charges as soon as the evidence is discovered. My goal with regards to the presentation of evidence is to ensure that the defendant's rights are protected. I believe that a defendant has the right to know their accuser, the evidence against them, as well as the ability to present their own defense. Why is this so important? Intent is a large part of how a sentence and even a verdict is delivered. A defendant should be given equal opportunity to have full knowledge of what they are being accused of to demonstrate their side of the issue. Additionally, in order to prosecute justice swiftly and fairly, I would seek to prevent trials where the defendant requests by honoring guilty appeals made during the Presentation of Evidence aka Arraignment thread.
Decisions regarding hearing a trial/seeking mediation We do not have much written about when an issue should go to trial. Perhaps this has always been left up to the Justice Minister or the Council. As Justice Minister, I would not seek to decide on whether someone should be tried or not tried from the discovery of a crime. I would seek to use the Presentation of Evidence aka Arraignment to decide if a court case should be heard. As a strong proponent of community input, I believe that if a crime has indeed been committed, that the community aka the Jury should make that decision- not the Justice Minister, not even the Council alone. Additionally, I would encourage matters that perhaps don't need to go to trial to endure mediation, primarily to help resolve issues, preventing them from festering and causing our community harm at a later date.
Summary
In summary, I have more than proved my commitment to the Mercurian Empire.
I have proved I shall be a committed and fair Justice Minister, as I have served a multitude of Ministries I was not elected to during my 8 Mercannums in the Empire.
Additionally, my legal contributions also demonstrate a desire for equality of the law and the ability for justice to be served fairly.
I wish my opponent good luck - there's no one I'd rather run against for this position!
_________________ Ealdorman Cerdic Beoden Accynnafon of Östlond Runner Up of the Glas Claddach Boat Building Competition Minister of Justice
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