Read this before posting in the Law & Order forum

[Pondlife]

Please read these guidelines before posting in the Law & Order forum.

Last update: 2009-01-05
 

• 1What Belongs in the Law & Order Forum
• 2Things we want to see more of
• 3Things we don't allow
• 4Giving Legal Advice
• 5Reporting Court Cases
• 6Use of Thread Prefixes
• 7A Final Word

[top]What Belongs in the Law & Order Forum

This forum is about the legal system as it pertains to drugs. In particular, the following topics are welcome:

• The legal status of drugs
• Discussion of Drug law
• Drug law enforcement: arrests, busts Etc.
• Court cases
• Personal accounts of the criminal justice system
• Requests for advice (but note that any advice given here is no substitute for a qualified lawyer. See a lawyer first, and check any information you receive with them before relying on it)

Note that the following topics belong in other forums, and should only be posted in Law and Order if they don't fit in the other category:

• Drug news, even law related - this belongs in the Drug News forum.
• Political discussion - this belongs in the Drub Policy Reform and Politics forum.

[top]Things we want to see more of

The following topics are especially welcome, and will generally result in positive reputation being awarded:

• First-hand details of law enforcement practices and techniques.
• Information about legal techniques, whether successful or not.
• Personal stories about encounters with the legal system (but see the section on reporting court cases).

[top]Things we don't allow

We do not allow requests for information on how to perform illegal activities. For example requests about how to smuggle drugs or how to alter a prescription are off topic. Our general advice for anyone contemplating performing an illegal activity is: don't do it.

However, discussion of the potential legal consequences of illegal actions, or advice on possible defences or mitigations are permitted, but these must stay focused on the legal aspects.

[top]Giving Legal Advice

Please be careful when giving legal advice, especially definitive advice. The law is complicated, and it's difficult for even legal professionals to give cast-iron advice based on a short description.

Advice that is generally welcome includes:

• Pointers to or extracts from relevant legal resources;
• Details of similar cases;
• Relevant personal experiences.

Personal opinions are still OK but need careful thought and wording. make sure they are on topic, and are not presented as fact

In all cases, please be aware of the jurisdiction when giving advice as the laws vary widely between countries.

[top]Reporting Court Cases

Details of court cases are most welcome, but please be aware of the following:

• If the case is in progress and you have inside information (e.g. as a juror or witness), some jurisdictions have Sub Judice rules that limit public discussion of the case.
• Very detailed information about a court case may allow people to determine which case you are referring to, and thus identify the parties. If you want to avoid this, don't give details like the court location and exact dates.

[top]Use of Thread Prefixes

When starting a new thread, please choose the appropriate thread prefix from the drop-down menu to the left of the subject. The prefixes for the Law & Order forum are the common countries, which represent the jurisdiction that applies to the thread. Specifying the correct country is important for law related discussions because laws vary widely between different jurisdictions.

For some countries such as the US, there are different laws in different states or regions. In these cases, please put the country in the prefix, and also give the state or region in the article.

[top]A Final Word

Finally, bear in mind that all of the usual rules of the forum apply in Law & Order as they do in all the forums.

Please contact Pondlife if you have any questions.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Good guidelines.