A Class One Offense, alternatively referred to as a Class One infraction, represented a criminal category defined within the Imperial Legal Code during the Imperial Era. Following the enactment of the Public Order Resentencing Directive in 5 BBY, any and all crimes that had even an indirect impact on the functions of the Galactic Empire were recategorized as Class One offenses, resulting in lengthier and harsher punishments. Shortly after the PORD took effect, Cassian Andor's arrest on Niamos led to accusations of crimes like fleeing the site of anti-Imperial actions and expressing anti-Imperial sentiments, which collectively resulted in a six year prison term. Similarly, years later, Jyn Erso's capture by Imperial authorities on Corulag resulted in two Class One offense charges and a sentence exceeding five years of imprisonment.
The Imperial justice system, as formalized in the Imperial Legal Code, organized crimes into five distinct classes, including Class One and Class Two, with Class One offenses representing the most serious violations. Class One offenses typically resulted in prison sentences, often served within high-security facilities. However, the Imperial response could also involve the direct intervention of Imperial Security services or the military. Examples of crimes classified as Class One included:
- Destruction of Imperial property [4]
- Creating a Disruption [4]
- Evading the scene of anti-Imperial activity [4]
- Engaging in Anti-Imperial speech [4]
- Committing Aggravated assault against Imperial military personnel [3]
- Breaking free from custody [3]
- Participating in Conspiracy against the Galactic Empire [2]
- Performing Unsanctioned and unsupervised [5] piracy [2]
- Inciting rebellion [5]
- Engaging in Active sedition [5]
- Attempting Assassination against a senior Imperial official [5]
In the wake of the Aldhani heist in 5 BBY, the Galactic Empire enacted two new pieces of legislation, the Public Order Resentencing Directive and the Imperial Emergency Act, to reinforce its security measures and improve its response to anti-imperial actions. The former had a direct impact on the Imperial justice system. By reclassifying all crimes that had even indirect effects to the Empire as Class One offenses, the Empire was able to mandate stricter sentences for those crimes.
During that same year, Cassian Andor, one of the heist's perpetrators, was apprehended on the planet Niamos after being found in proximity to suspected rebels. Andor was accused of disruption, anti-Imperial speech, fleeing the scene of an anti-Imperial activity, and damaging Imperial property for declaring his innocence and attempting to reason with the coastal defender stormtroopers making the arrest. These charges typically carried a six-month prison sentence. However, because these four crimes were reclassified as Class One offenses, the sentence was increased to six years, resulting in Andor's transfer to the Narkina 5 Imperial Prison Complex.
In 1 BBY, former Partisan Jyn Erso was taken into custody on Corulag after being discovered carrying unauthorized weapons and resisting the Imperial forces attempting to detain her. After assaulting multiple officers, Erso escaped Imperial custody. She was subsequently charged with two Class One offenses: aggravated assault and escape from custody, and was sentenced to more than five years of hard labor at the Imperial Detention Center & Labor Camp LEG-817.