tLoE IX: Stop right there Criminal...Oh, you're sorry? Nevermind, have a nice day!

Back on track everyone! the Land of Equestria Series Returns with it's Ninth Installment: A quick look at Equestria's Judicial System! Jumping right in, I'm sure many of you have noticed just how little crime there is in Equestria. There are little to no reports of murder, or any sort of high-end atrocious crime. Perhaps petty theft or bribery, but nothing too severe overall has been discussed. However, it is known that Police, Sheriffs, and security personnel do exist in Equestria, so the land is not without crime. Ponies have also been seen to be driven to extremes at times (a great example of which was in a recent episode, "Tanks for the Memories", in which Rainbow Dash causes at least a small fortune in property damage to the Cloudsdale weather facilities), thus the potential for crime is present. That's what we know up front, so what else can we learn from the Show?

Some of you may recall my post on the Equestrian Military, acting mostly as a glorified security force than anything else. The Royal Guard (Particularly in the Crystal Empire) seems to perform most duties related to crime i.e., suspect search, patrol, etc). however, there ARE official police positions, and the Territory that best displays this is Appleoosa, which runs on a sort of frontier government. That said, the Sheriff is an integral part of their area, and a prime example for this analysis. yet another recent episode (Troubleshoes Episode) has enlightened us on the topic ( I really congratulate the whole MLP:FiM team in their recent efforts at world building), as we know know not only that immediate incarceration is used bu Equestrians, but that they have specific charges they can press, much like on Earth (not much of a surprise there, but noteworthy nonetheless). These charges were simple, akin to disrupting a public event, destruction of property, etc. but one stood out a bit more than the rest: foalnapping. Typically, if a charge exists for something specific, then it's happened before, enough times to be written into law, so if nothing else, this charge indicates that foalnappers exist (or did exist at some point) in Equestria. However...The episode also showed that Equestrian law enforcement is rather lax when it comes to actually keeping prisoners. After being broken out of jail, instead of being charged with the escape, he got off scott free, simply based on the words of three children, and although this means they're willing to listen to reason, it also means that they're based around quick forgiveness. Now this may not apply to ALL Equestrian security forces, (Check the land of Equestria 4: City States for details on various regional governments), but all across the land, giving the prisoner the benefit of the doubt seems to be the norm.

It is difficult to blame them too much though, after all, most every major problem is eliminated by higher powers anyway. Think about it: all the major criminals used to be taken care of by Celestia or Luna or both, or any hero destined to save the land. Sombra ran an oppressive regime, enslaved his people, probably did worse... taken down by Celestia and Luna. Discord sewed chaos and havoc wherever he went, disrupting lively hood... defeated by Celestia and Luna. The Sirens forced ponies to fight and war, potentially leading to death: Starswirl banished them to another world. There's little reason for major law enforcement when all major threats are eliminated by the heroes anyway, thus leading to the reason Equestrian Law Enforcement is just as much for show and status as their military; 9 times out of 10, they'll never actually need it. In a way this makes Equestria great, due to low crime rates, nice land, and all-around friendly people...but it also makes it weak, in that it would be unprepared to handle any seriously major issues, foreign or, in this case, domestic.

So! Too long for you? here's the recap!
-I'm back!
-Equestria DOES have crime, but it's typically very petty.
-Equestrian Security/police forces are very forgiving, even to a fault.
-The Rulers/ important persons of the land tend to take care of the major issues for everyone else.

Well, that's all I've got this time, so until next time, keep on doing what you do best!

I'm Ironsmith, Invent on!