Article M-201 - Theft

"You stand convicted of unlawful appropriation of another citizen's property. Property rights are a cornerstone of public order in the State of Wildoria; whoever takes what is not theirs forfeits their liberty in equal measure."

The State holds property among the first guarantees it owes its citizens - the right to keep what was earned, made, or lawfully traded for. A theft is therefore not treated as a private quarrel between two parties but as a breach of the public order itself, and the Court answers it from that ground.

Escalation Under the Recidivism Clause

A first theft draws the opening term laid down for the article. A second theft within thirty days draws twice as much, and a third draws twice again - until the Code's ceiling for the article is reached, beyond which the Court will not go. The escalation is meant to be plain on its face: a citizen who steals once may have stumbled; a citizen who steals three times within the month has chosen.

"This is not your first conviction under Article M-201. Per the Recidivism Clause, the term is doubled for each prior offense recorded within the past thirty days."

On Bail

Of the articles in the Code, M-201 is the one most plainly suited to bail: property taken can, in principle, be returned, and a fine paid in full can settle the matter without the citizen's continued absence from public life. The right is now in force. A convict held under M-201 may pay a fine at the bench and walk free without serving the term.

The fine is not a flat sum. It rises with the Recidivism Clause - a first theft is bought back cheaply, while a citizen with a string of prior convictions on record finds the price of their liberty climbing with each one. The State is content to let a thief buy their way out, but it sets the price by how often they have made the offer.

A theft sentence may therefore be answered three ways: served in full, worked down through prison shifts, or paid off at the bench. The choice is the convict's.