Prison

Prison is a gameplay mechanic introduced in Alpha 3.9.0 where criminal players are secured after being killed by NPC law enforcement or another player after meeting the proper circumstances for arrest.

Being arrested
Being imprisoned first requires a player to have a CrimeStat of 2 or higher. When being shot at either by NPC law enforcement or another player, a timer will start between 1–3 minutes. If the player dies within this timer, they will respawn in prison. Currently, the only prison implemented is the Klescher Rehabilitation Facility on Aberdeen.

Prison gameplay
When in prison, you have the option to either break out, serve your sentence lawfully, or earn Merits to reduce your sentence. Sentence time varies based on the crime(s) committed at the time of being arrested.

Serving your sentence & merits
You can choose to wait out your sentence and be released from prison peacefully should you so desire. Through the use of Merits, you can legally shorten your existing prison sentence. Merits are earned by working for the prison, currently in the form of mining. One merit is equivalent to one second of time served. The equipment will be provided to you upon spawning in prison, but be warned that parts of the caves are either depressurized or not within the armistice zone, meaning you are at risk.

In addition to using Merits for shortening prison time, they can also be used to purchase various commodities from vendors within the prison. The following is a list of items available:

Escaping prison
Should you wish to cut your time short and leave early (albeit illegally), you have the option to break out. Each prison has their own escape routes, so check each page (listed above) to find the one you need. Dying anywhere along the escape route will cause the player to respawn in the prison with an additional 30 minutes added onto their sentence.