If I want to throw the PCs in a prison / jail, how do they get their gear back or even know where it is?

The last few times I just had there gear in a box or locker across from their cell, but that seems kinda non-realistic.

I'm a bit cruel, so my initial reaction was, "Whelp. They don't."

So that's a bit harsh, especially if you have cooked the adventure so the PC definitely are imprisoned with no way to avoid it. If they have just been captured and taken to say an Imperial detention facility, it is likely their equipment would be held within the facility. Bagged and tagged for inspection by intelligence personnel, especially interrogators who will use information cleaned from their equipment during questioning.

Eventually, mundane equipment (standard weapons, standard armor, sundries such as stimpacks) will eventually be sent off for processing such as destruction or bulk sale to the market. This shouldn't be a huge deal to the PCs unless an item is a memento of some sort like their father's trusty knife. When it comes to mundane kit, that should be easily replaceable by the PCs during their escape by grabbing guard weapons or cracking open a weapons locker.

As for items of personal significance to the PCs for narrative (ie knife example above) or mechanical (modified or rare weapons/kit) reasons, I would be hesitant to have these disappear forever. If the PCs can get into evidence storage at a tactical detention facility, it should all be there neatly organized. If your PCs are spending quite some time imprisoned, say sent to a specific detention facility, it is possible some of their kit may end up co-located. Maybe the Commandant is the sporting type and pulled a few strings to add your Gunslinger's modified pistol to his own personal collection in his office. Maybe there is a R&D facility attached to the detention centre in which your slicer's custom computer is held undergoing close scrutiny by Imperial Intelligence experts. Maybe some of the kit isn't recovered so quickly to the PC's despair when, on travelling through an Outer Rim spaceport, they spot the mercenary's modified laminate armour being worn by bounty hunter known to work closely with the Empire.

Just a few suggestions.

Edit: As for knowing where to look, the PC's backgrounds could indicate a character with such knowledge. An ex-Imperial ought to know standard prisoner procedures where as a former Outer Rim lawman would know generally how civilian police operate. Barring that look to Knowledge skills to provide opportunities to get that info. I'd Warfare for Imperial procedures, Education for civilian, and Underworld for criminal (ie Hutt or Black Sun) practices.

Personal effects are usually held in secure bins. Where those bins are, the PCs won't know, but a guard is likely to know.

Guardians of the Galaxy provides a good example: their stuff gets confiscated and locked up when they come in, it's a big plot point. Later Quill knows exactly where to go.

Of course, if you don't want the players to regain all their stuff (which can be one of the main benefits of getting the PCs captured) then it's just gone.

Depending on if you want them to have it during your sessions... It could be stored on a small orbiting storage meteor, or a satellite or anything akin to that. A bit over the top for sure, but they can get it back afterwards and nobody messes with their gear up there. Although it is ultimately out of reach for the entire thing. Exept if they manage to convince someone to transfer it down...

When I was a player and put into a high security prison, our items were confiscated and we eventually discovered that the items would eventually be transferred to a storage facility in or near the Imperial Security Bureau main headquaters. So there was tension in the knowledge that if we didn't escape within a week of capture, we could kiss our lightsabers and other effects (which we had worked very hard for) goodbye.

Weapons and armor are never brought into secure holding facilities. Those items would be taken to an off site separate location by whatever personnel made the arrest. Personal effects might be bagged and kept separate in lockers depending on their use. Likely nothing that could be used for escape or improvised weapon would be allowed in, no tools, no flame producing items, no food. No electronics of any kind or anything that could be used to mess with electronics within the facility or as a comm device. Usually just extra clothing, relevant paperwork and money in the facility itself. Contraband is seized and destroyed.

There's a difference between Jail and Prison. Jail is for drunks (gear gets tossed into a bin stored in a locked room down the hall). Prison, on the other hand, is for hardened criminals -- violent felons and the like (effects stored off-site in a (semi-) secured warehouse).

If the players just got arrested, they're probably still in Jail until they're processed and sentenced. They might have some (slightly) more secure facilities if the policing organization is used to dealing with dangerous criminals, but, if it's normal, run of the mill law enforcement, it's anything but Leavenworth.

It is all really dependent on what their situation is at the time. If they are being held in an Imperial Prison, their gear is likely going to be very difficult to retrieve, perhaps in some off site facility or as mentioned above perhaps a few of the rarer pieces appropriated by the warden of the facility. The fact they are in an -Imperial- prison is probably going to take precedence over retrieving their lost gear unless it was of utmost sentimental value (Quill's cassette player).

If they are in a civilian run jail or prison, their gear is likely still going to be difficult to retrieve but it will probably be at least on site in some form of lockup. Grabbing some of it during the escape is quite probable here as they likely have to travel near or past the armory in their escape effort.

If they are in the dungeon of a crime lord, their gear has likely been taken by his thugs, with the choicest pieces of gear going to the highest ranked members of the organization. Nothing beats the PC's escaping and then going "Hey! He's got my gun!".

There's a difference between Jail and Prison. Jail is for drunks (gear gets tossed into a bin stored in a locked room down the hall). Prison, on the other hand, is for hardened criminals -- violent felons and the like (effects stored off-site in a (semi-) secured warehouse).

If the players just got arrested, they're probably still in Jail until they're processed and sentenced. They might have some (slightly) more secure facilities if the policing organization is used to dealing with dangerous criminals, but, if it's normal, run of the mill law enforcement, it's anything but Leavenworth.

Not the jails I booked people into. No weapons past entry point, not even the cops, no food, no drink, no tools, no electronics, no flame producing devices, no belts, no jewelry of any kind to include all piercings and wristwatches, no hair ties, no shoelaces in the cells. If they were found with any contraband, strip searched. Anything not allowed in the building is impounded off site at another location. Pretty sure the Empire would be as paranoid or more so.

There's a difference between Jail and Prison. Jail is for drunks (gear gets tossed into a bin stored in a locked room down the hall). Prison, on the other hand, is for hardened criminals -- violent felons and the like (effects stored off-site in a (semi-) secured warehouse).

If the players just got arrested, they're probably still in Jail until they're processed and sentenced. They might have some (slightly) more secure facilities if the policing organization is used to dealing with dangerous criminals, but, if it's normal, run of the mill law enforcement, it's anything but Leavenworth.

Not the jails I booked people into. No weapons past entry point, not even the cops, no food, no drink, no tools, no electronics, no flame producing devices, no belts, no jewelry of any kind to include all piercings and wristwatches, no hair ties, no shoelaces in the cells. If they were found with any contraband, strip searched. Anything not allowed in the building is impounded off site at another location. Pretty sure the Empire would be as paranoid or more so.

That kind of realistic civilian law enforcement security is what I might expect from civilized world security forces and within specialized Imperial military detention centres. However, we've seen from A New Hope that on the Death Star (essentially a Naval station) that Imperial forces securing prisoners are armed with blasters on detention blocks, and you can just sort of exit the lift onto the deck unannounced and with an unsecured prisoner.... While 70s movie logic is at work here, it is in support of allowing a fun rescue scene.

We could get into a debate in how realistically a variety of organizations in Star Wars would handle prisoners, I think it is going to boil down to a few factors. There is the general character of the organization and their resources, but equally important I think is the flavour of your game and what is fun for your group. For me, running adversaries using the same movie logic we see in the films produces the most fun result for my group.

Here's how I would play. I think sophisticated law enforcement groups like CorSec would make sense to play it closer to the realistic side, where a couple of rough lawmen in the Outer Rim may have to make due with a cliche wild west style jail. Stormtroopers in the field would separate and catalogue the kit for interrogation and intelligence exploitation while prisoners are kept in an improvised collection point ankles crossed, facing away, and under armed guard. Old school, Republic trained, Imperial Army officers may even be cordial enough to permit prisoners helmets and gas masks, once inspected, in accordance with ancient rules of war. A dedicated Imperial detention centre would of course leave prisoners with nothing but the standard uniform and a butt stroke across the face, but its a pretty rough for a PC to lose a signature item so a little movie logic may be appropriate to bend the rules.

That said, this is all based on the fact most of the groups I game with prefer the cinematic to the grittier realistic style. As a player, it would be an interesting challenge to run a Rebel insurgency with a GM playing local police and Imperial military in a hyper-realistic manner.

I play things realistic, not Hollywood stupid. The opening scene of Star Wars is fun to watch, it's a tactical goat rodeo though. Ultimately PCs actually will use common sense, so I do as well.

To the OP, that's how I handle PCs going into detention facilities. Pretty much common sense and it doesn't rely on a level of tech. You don't let things into the facility that can be used to hurt anyone or escape. Not to mention why are the PCs in custody? If they broke the law and were armed while they did whatever they did, their weapons and armor are likely evidence to be used against them and they aren't likely to get them back.

There's a difference between Jail and Prison. Jail is for drunks (gear gets tossed into a bin stored in a locked room down the hall). Prison, on the other hand, is for hardened criminals -- violent felons and the like (effects stored off-site in a (semi-) secured warehouse).

If the players just got arrested, they're probably still in Jail until they're processed and sentenced. They might have some (slightly) more secure facilities if the policing organization is used to dealing with dangerous criminals, but, if it's normal, run of the mill law enforcement, it's anything but Leavenworth.

Not the jails I booked people into. No weapons past entry point, not even the cops, no food, no drink, no tools, no electronics, no flame producing devices, no belts, no jewelry of any kind to include all piercings and wristwatches, no hair ties, no shoelaces in the cells. If they were found with any contraband, strip searched. Anything not allowed in the building is impounded off site at another location. Pretty sure the Empire would be as paranoid or more so.

The other thing to consider: how prepared was the group that took the PCs captive? They might not have proper holding facilities or even a brig. If we're talking the Imperials they certainly have procedures, and it's likely everyone knows them, but location and circumstance plays a huge part. They might have something else going on that keeps them from sending confiscated items away or properly securing them, such as a conflict or ongoing mission that prevents them from taking the necessary steps.

For example, my PCs are currently imprisoned and being interrogated on a Star Destroyer. They've been there for two weeks, but most of their gear is still there because the ship is currently under the command of an Inquisitor. She's moved the Star Destroyer into deep space and cut off contact to prevent interruptions such as official Imperial communiques and rescue attempts. This means that the group is effectively in a closed system: their stuff is still on the ship, albeit in a "secure" location.

Of course, the other part of the above consideration is that nobody is ever really prepared for PCs...

OK so if they don't have a jail what's your point? Because the OP asked what to do when they are thrown in a jail or a prison, not when they aren't thrown in a jail or prison.

Modified or very rare weapons also tend to stick out, so it's reasonable that in the outer rim either some minion takes possession of the thing:

• "that is a really nice gun/knife/rope. I like it, i might just keep it since you don't need it at the moment" and upgrade that guy from minion to rival

Also as said before, guardians of the galaxy gives a good example, but somehow I don't think that the Empire gives you back your weapon after you've done your time.

• Those might just get lost or misplaced by a clerical error, or simply thrown away.
• Also maybe sold off to a weapons dealer that is in good standing with the imperial presence there.
• I can also imagine them throwing all the stuff in a garbage chute.

Aye, my experiences are similar. Weapons are determines by hirarchy

A) Any lightsabers are very quickly detained by authorities. Likely calling on an Inquistor asset to take the PC(s) to a more secure location e.g. mess this up and you will never be seen again.

B) Illegal weapons are either destoried (if outright dangerous or illegal by imperial use; a lot of the time the feds simply don't have clearance to handle this) though some of the more noteable exceptions might linger, or be handed out to a fanciful officer. Generally speaking the party probably won't see most of that stuff again.

C) Military grade gear is likely kept in storage to be sent off and dealt with by an appropriate authority.

D) Rare items could go either way, but they will likely send those off/sell them eventually

E) Standard gear, personal effects, any oridenary electronics and even money (because to be fair I imagine most prisons don't want to appear corrupt; they make their money by selling your other stuff off!) will go into a secure box.

If they haven't had meaningful time to process it, it will still be around. But my group once had two players go to prison after a botched raid, they never saw their gear again and had to be restocked.

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OK so if they don't have a jail what's your point? Because the OP asked what to do when they are thrown in a jail or a prison, not when they aren't thrown in a jail or prison.

It was more of a "do they actually have holding facilities, or is this improvised?" The OP didn't offer much in the way of situational details: he could have been talking about a lengthy holding, trial, and sentencing period, in which case sure, they'd have the proper setup. He also might have been talking about something about more frontier justice-type or being captured by an organization that wouldn't have a full-blown prison system, e.g. the Black Sun.