A Law That Provides Only the Merest Illusion of Safety
The National Assembly is poised to vote on the so-called "Defense of Peace Act" (henceforth referred to as the DPA) this Wednesday, October 10th. This act, under the guise of protection, threatens to erode the very fabric of the freedom we enjoy as citizens of a forward-thinking Commonwealth.
What is the DPA?
The Defense of Peace Act aims to broaden the list of specific charges categorized as “perilous crimes”, which carry a mandatory minimum sentence of lifelong imprisonment in Central City Watch approved detention facilities.
That list of charges previously included murder and treason. The DPA would expand it to include armed robbery, piracy, assault with a deadly weapon, and terror.
| Crime | Carries Life Sentence Now | Would Carry Life Sentence Under DPA |
|---|---|---|
| Murder | x | x |
| Manslaughter | x | x |
| High Treason | x | x |
| Attempted Murder | x | |
| Armed Robbery | x | |
| Assault with a Deadly Weapon | x | |
| Piracy, Violent | x | |
| Piracy, Victimless | x | |
| Terroristic Threats | x |
Why Oppose the DPA?
Impracticality: If the DPA becomes law, court justices will be legally obligated to drastically increase the number of convicts headed to detention facilities. Our public detention facilities are already inadequate to contain the Commonwealth's convicts and rely heavily on the support of private industrial detention complexes for assistance. By casting a wide net rather than focusing on those criminals who pose the greatest risk to the good people of our Commonwealth, we risk further overcrowding our prisons and overburdening our justice system.
Dangerous Precedent: It doesn't take an expert in the law to tell you that the DPA's expansion of charges is a slippery slope. Today it's piracy and armed robbery—what next? Could there be a future where defense of one's personal property is classified as a "perilous crime"? What about defense of one's very own self? Could a virtuous merchant who defends themself against would-be robbers be confined for life in an overcrowded detention facility? They surely could, if the DPA were to become law.
Unclear Definitions: The DPA imposes harsh sentences for crimes with already cloudy legal definitions, and gives no indication as to how it should be applied in an equitable manner to long-lived citizens of our Commonwealth. Is an arcane focus considered a deadly weapon in the eyes of our court justices? Is a life sentence harsh enough for a devout and elderly halfling who knows he will go soon to his god? Is it cruel and unusual punishment to bestow the same sentence on a youthful elf with nigh one thousand years of captivity before her? These questions and more must be clarified before any such extreme measures are written into our laws.
Your Voice Matters!
The DPA is no defense of peace; it's but a fool's errand. We must not let fear drive us to write half-baked ideas into law.
Act Now! As the good citizens of this nation, it is our moral duty to write to the Rectors of our respective cities and urge them to stand against the DPA at the upcoming National Assembly. Together, we can preserve the Commonwealth's values of justice and liberty.
This message is brought to you by Concerned Citizens for a Free Commonwealth.