Droid Statutes were specific punitive measures enacted against owners of lawbreaking droids by the Galactic Republic, in the wake of the Great Droid Revolution of 4015 BBY. They were eventually codified by COMPNOR in the Imperial Penal References. There were five classes of infractions, ranking from Class Five to Class One in severity.
Typically, the owner of a droid would be held responsible for the infraction and punished accordingly. If the owner of the droid was convicted of the crime, the droid was usually memory-wiped and then auctioned to offset the costs of the trial. In extreme cases, the droid would be confiscated and destroyed.
Class Five infractions were the lowest misdemeanor crimes. They were punishable by a small fine of between 100 and 1,000 credits for the owner and a memory wipe for the droid. They were often overlooked by local law enforcement. Several examples of Class Five infractions were:
- theft in amounts up to 5,000 credits
- verbal assault on an organic being
- lack of a restraining bolt or other "leashing" technology
Class Four infractions were normally the most violent droid-related crimes. They were punishable by a 500 to 3,000 credit fine for the owner and a memory wipe for the droid. Several examples of Class Four infractions were:
- Theft in amounts between 5,000 and 10,000 credits
- Possession or installation of restricted programming without a permit
- Property damage, including other droids
- Trespassing on droid-restricted property
Class Three infractions were usually overlooked by Imperial personnel and delegated to local authorities. They were punishable by a fine between 1,000 and 5,000 credits for the owner and a mandatory memory wipe and reset on the droid. In some cases, the owner was found criminally liable and the droid was impounded for public auction. Several examples of Class Three infractions were:
- Theft in amounts exceeding 10,000 credits
- Ownership or installation of a weapon without a permit
- Physical assault not concluding with death
Class Two infractions were rare and usually highly publicized. They were punishable by confiscation of the droid and imprisonment of the owner for between five and thirty standard year in a high security prison like Kessel. In extreme cases, the confiscated droid was destroyed, but most often it was simply memory wiped and sold in a public auction. Several examples of Class Two infractions were:
- Involuntary manslaughter
- Ownership or installation of an illegal weapon with the droid's chassis
- Illegal programming
- Unauthorized espionage programming
Class One infractions were illegalities that were considered capital offenses. They were often covered up by authorities so that they wouldn't panic the general population. They were punishable by imprisonment of the owner for five years to life and destruction of the droid. Several examples of Class One infractions were:
- Conspiring to overthrow the Galactic Empire
- Voluntary manslaughter
- Programming or actions with intent of harming Imperial personnel
- Programming a droid to engage in espionage activities against the Empire or its citizens
Enforcement of the Droid Statutes varied widely. Some technologically-advanced planets like Coruscant and Derilyn lightened punishments for less significant infractions of the Statutes so as not to tie up local law enforcement unnecessarily, while remote worlds like Tatooine and Gamorr had their judiciaries bogged down for months by droid-committed crime. Some planetary militias created special droid enforcement agencies to specialize in investigating and prosecuting violations of the Droid Statutes.
- Cynabar's Fantastic Technology: Droids
- The New Essential Guide to Droids
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia