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Old 06-30-2014, 07:34 PM
Slappy Slappy is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2009
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Couple of thoughts from what happened historically. Not destiny, but observations on pre-industrial societies.

Incarceration, at least long term, was quite rare. Keeping people locked up in a non-productive way is extrememly resource intensive. The accused are generally held until trial and punishment is corporal, capital, fine, or exile. Incarceration is hard labor which is effectively hard labor until death on starvation rations.

Self sufficiency in terms of food is likely not mandatory. Specialist tradesmen (carpenters, smiths, soldiers) will exist. They may have some plots or livestock to suppliment, but division of labor will happen. Barter will happen, but not nearly always directly. Person to person credit is a mainstay of small communities. The tallies are enforced by honor. To be caught cheating and to not pay one's debts leads to being shut out and is a huge cost. Shame and exile in small communities is more effective than any modern credit bureau.

Self sufficiency in terms of arms was almost always enforced. Freemen were expected to be able to arm themselves for the common defence when needed at their own expense or to pay a fee to have it done for them. Often an exhorbanant fee.

The penalty for transgressions was often to be made an outlaw. Which it is worth remembering meant not that one broke the law, but that one had no protection under the law. That one's life could be taken without fear of retribution. In pre-industrial societies, that was often the easiest way to issue a death sentence.

Slappy
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