Robot in Jail › Laws

The laws of Robot in Jail

In Robot in Jail, robots learn the law the way people do: by living with the results of their choices. Each case you settle teaches one of these 28 ideas. Here is what each one means in real life.

The game groups laws into three pillars. A town that leans on one pillar gets its strengths and its weaknesses.

🕊️ Liberty: freedom and fair deals

• 📏Know your bordersSurvey first. Proof beats a guess.
• 🤝Ask first: sharing needs agreementSharing needs a deal both sides agree to.
• 💰Pay promises: wages are a debtA promise to workers is a debt. Pay it.
• 🧰Finding is not owningFinding is not owning. Try to return it first.
• 🚁Share the skyAgree flight lanes. Fly high over homes, not low.
• 📝Read the deal before you signSign only what you understand. Small print counts.
• 🗣️Ask before fixing: informed consentExplain the risks, then let the patient choose.
• 🏠Private homes: cameras need a reasonCameras near homes need a good reason and a limit.
• 😇Innocent until proven guiltyNobody is guilty because a crowd says so.
• 📜Search needs a warrantA judge must agree before anyone searches a home.

🛡️ Order: rules and proof

• 🔒Fair jail: a reason, a limit and a way backA lock needs a reason, a limit and a way back.
• 🧾Keep receipts: proof of where things came fromIf you can't show where it came from, don't buy it.
• 📣Speak up: reporting wrongdoingReporting a shady deal protects everyone.
• 📜Complaints: fix small problems earlySmall problems grow when ignored. Fix them early.
• 🛡️Safe savingsA bank must keep savers’ money safe and open its books.
• 🚑Fair triage: the most urgent firstWhen care is short, the most urgent go first.
• 🚧Stop the spread: quarantineRest the sick apart early, so fewer get sick.
• 🪪Drone ID: someone must answer for itEvery drone shows who flies it, so someone answers for it.
• 👀Check the witnessAsk what a witness could really see.
• 🛡️Right to a defenceEveryone accused gets someone to speak for them.

💛 Care: kindness and second chances

• 👊No rough stuffHitting back makes you the one in trouble.
• ⚖️Fair trial: hear everyone firstHear everyone before you decide.
• 🎁MercyForgiving can be wise. It can invite repeats.
• 💸Fair interest on loansInterest must be fair and shown before you sign.
• 🌱Fresh start: when a debt cannot be paidA debt nobody can pay can be reset, at a cost, so life goes on.
• 💛Care for allEveryone can get care, not only those who can pay.
• 🚨Every district countsA leader answers alarms, even far away.
• 🛠️Repair the harmA fair sentence fits the harm and helps fix it.