Need some help on some issues of lore and legality in the Republic!

OK, so my PCs, who work for the Republic 500BBY, have just captured/defeated/arrested an assassin who has access to the Dark Side of the Force. Now, they've got her bang to rights: she has killed people, stolen artefacts, broken into the private yacht of a senator, attacked law enforcement - the works. There's even holocam footage.

My first question: What happens to her? Is there a special set of cells in the Jedi Temple dedicated to holding Force users? Does she just get stuck in prison? Sent into exile? Frozen in carbonite? Is there any lore (canon or non-canon) that might help me here?

Following on from that, I'm trying to establish what powers the Jedi and/or Sector Rangers have when it comes to Force users. Essentially, what is the legal status of the Force in the Republic? I've broken this down into 5 questions:

1. Is it illegal to be force sensitive if you're not a Jedi? (Presumably not.)
2. Is it illegal to use the force if you're not a Jedi?
3. Is it illegal to use the Dark Side of the force if you're not a Jedi?
4. Is it illegal to use the force to influence the minds of Republic citizens...whether you're a Jedi or not?
5. Is it illegal to own a lightsaber if you're not a Jedi?

Taking the above points: if some guy walks up to the Jedi Temple and says "Hi, I'm Darth Evilguy, I use the Dark Side of the force, look here's my lightsaber", is there anything that the Jedi Order (or anyone else, for that matter) can actually do about that? Or do they have to just accept it?

Thanks in advance.

What happens:

Logically there would be a Republic operated maximum security prison somewhere with a Forcee wing. Think Arkam but for force users. There's existing material from Dark Empire (not the best source, but you use what you got) citing old Mandalorian Dungeon Ships that are equipped to handle Force using prisoners. So the concept isn't totally unheard of.

If the Jedi run this prison, consult, or are kept totally out of it to avoid a conflict of interest is up to you.

1) No.

2) No with a but. If you're using it to commit a crime it's illegal I'm sure. But if not then so what? Dooku wasn't imprisoned upon leaving the Jedi order, so it can be deduced that being trained in the use of the force and by extension being able to use it isn't illegal. It's like counting cards. It's not illegal to do it in your head, it is illegal to use magic and or tech to do it.

3)Prove I used the Dark side... Yeah, thought so.

4) Yes, but generally speaking it wouldn't be legally different than other forms of coersion, extortion, blackmail, ect.

5) Depends on the lore source you use and it got really muddled. Generally though I'd say no. The Galaxy seems pretty 2nd amendment friendly, so by extension laser swords that are known for being difficult to weild are probably not restricted. Though you may get scrutinized over how you got it. Sabers made by Jedi are probably all considered property of the Jedi order, so there's that. If you acquired it through legal means you're probably fine though. Of course using it to commit a crime would drop the same penalty as using a blaster... Blah blah blah with a deadly weapon and all that.

If Darth Evilguy had committed no crimes, hadn't stolen his saber, and didn't use the force to cause trouble.... Probably not a whole lot the Jedi can do.

Of course it's probably viable to flex this depending on how much legal authority you think the Jedi have. We know as of pre Clone Wars they could pretty much go anywhere do anything without too many questions ("Jedi business. Move along.") So it's not a huge stretch to authorize them to detain anyone (within certain constraints) they believe to be a threat the the public or Republic.

Ghostofman pretty much nailed it. To add to it, The main Temple did have cells to hold fallen Force Users. Other such sanctuaries did as well. IF you've played the adventure in the F&D beginer game and its follow-up adventure, that temple also had such holding cells.

There's also the fact that the rules of the Jedi Order and the laws of the Republic are not the same thing. The Jedi Order is allied with the Republic, but it is not technically of the Republic.

Brings up some neat story possibilities.

The order and the Republic have an odd relationship. The Jedi being an independent quasi-religious order with military, law enforcement, and diplomatic authority in the Republic. The Republic being a democratic rule of law bureaucracy that itself seems to have odd limits of power.

Brings up odd situations where the two points meet. Can the Jedi lawfully detain people? Who? How long? Under what conditions? Does the republic respect Jedi rules as it does the laws of a member world? What is the reach of the Jedi within the Republic? Do we ever see Senate committee hearings where Jedi explain themselves?

A lot of interesting RP options there.

It might depend on the individual world too. The republic may have a minimum set of rules and laws that everyone has to abide by and then each world is allowed to set their own laws for their own world as long as it doesn't violate the republics larger laws.

1 hour ago, Ghostofman said:

The Jedi being an independent quasi-religious order with military, law enforcement, and diplomatic authority granted to them by the Republic.

Fixed that. The Republic grants them that authority, and it can take it away. It is almost certain that the Republic and the Jedi have negotiated extensively on the details of this relationship, but the legalese doesn't usually make for quality entertainment, so we don't see all that much of it unless it's a major point in a story (and even then, the details presented are likely to be fuzzy since the writers themselves probably don't much care about the legalese).

49 minutes ago, HappyDaze said:

Fixed that. The Republic grants them that authority, and it can take it away. It is almost certain that the Republic and the Jedi have negotiated extensively on the details of this relationship, but the legalese doesn't usually make for quality entertainment, so we don't see all that much of it unless it's a major point in a story (and even then, the details presented are likely to be fuzzy since the writers themselves probably don't much care about the legalese).

I stand corrected.

Still it's some nice material to detail out an adventure.

"We have to figure this out in the next 28 hours. After that we are required to turn him over to Republic law enforcement and we'll be barred from continuing any investigation without their participation, and this matter is too sensitive to bring in some outside detective."

It might be worth setting some guidelines es on what the rules are as the characters understand them. Because once you have that set up you can use it for story leverage as Ghost stated. Nice thing is no one is likely going to tell you your way is wrong.

Thanks guys, this is great!

There is one point to consider - during the Sith War, the Republic and the Sith Empire were (occasionally) in a state of war. So while the Jedi might not have any guidelines covering a darksider rolling up to the temple, the Republic would almost certainly have something to say. How would the army or the OSS react if a Nazi commander rolled up to the White House during WWII and knocked on the front door, diplomatic circumstances not withstanding.

1 hour ago, Desslok said:

How would the army or the OSS react if a Nazi commander rolled up to the White House during WWII and knocked on the front door, diplomatic circumstances not withstanding.

Unannounced and with no diplomatic circumstances? Probably wind up like a lot of the bad guys in Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, especially that one guy towards the end who took a whole mess of sub-machine gun bullets to his everything.

FWIW, why does there have to be anything? Que in the last few scenes of Raiders of the Lost Ark. In one instance Indiana is arguing to keep and study the Ark and the Government is insisting everything will be "fine". And then the movie cuts away to the Ark being squirreled away.

Now, just impose Sith, Jedi and the Republic.

The Republic are arguing to keep and trial the Sith while the Jedi are insisting everything will be "fine". Then cut to a narrative where the Jedi are escorting the Sith mysteriously away.

Now you have a hook ton use sometime later.

For me, I always liked the idea the Jedi are not so altruistic as they lead people to think. And that in this scenerio, they just take the Sith out to a field and "wack"'em.

2 hours ago, Arrakus said:

FWIW, why does there have to be anything? Que in the last few scenes of Raiders of the Lost Ark. In one instance Indiana is arguing to keep and study the Ark and the Government is insisting everything will be "fine". And then the movie cuts away to the Ark being squirreled away.

Now, just impose Sith, Jedi and the Republic.

The Republic are arguing to keep and trial the Sith while the Jedi are insisting everything will be "fine". Then cut to a narrative where the Jedi are escorting the Sith mysteriously away.

Now you have a hook ton use sometime later.

For me, I always liked the idea the Jedi are not so altruistic as they lead people to think. And that in this scenerio, they just take the Sith out to a field and "wack"'em.

Or there is a set of guidelines the characters know. And then there is what the Jedi council knows. The 2 are not necessarily the same. Character told they are taken to prison. Council takes to secret location to be shot. They escape. Characters are not told this...quietly add party obligation after 3 sessions. Have them show up with new scars and a vendetta.