How to flesh out Tamriel's Legal System for RP?

[Vilhelm Valhalla]

[Deleted]

[legoless]

Counties in Cyrodiil are definitely far more integrated than holds in Skyrim. You see heavy cooperation between the Skingrad and Bruma guard during that vampire hunter quest. The individual counts seem to have some degree of autonomy (Count Leyawiin's bandit hunting op, for example), but I can't see separate laws being passed. The Imperial Prison definitely seems "federal" for lack of a better word - it's for the serious criminals. Throw them in the ancient dungeons and forget about them.

[Dark Spark]

I can agree that Cyrodiil's counts' are the executors of law, not the legislators of it. They can't make laws willy-nilly, and any decrees they impose must be made answerable to the Imperial City.

[Vilhelm Valhalla]

[Deleted]

[legoless]

I can see what you mean, as the counts seem to be governors rather than law makers. That said, do you think there is any room for "emergency powers," such as a city-wide lockdown, or the suspension of certain rights (if the normal citizenry even have any)?

Definitely. Look at how Leyawiin dealt with the Oblivion Crisis - isolationism and total lockdown.

I remember that in Morrowind, punishment was "hard labor." Besides the fact that it is not an implemented gameplay feature, would prisoners be used as forced labor to some end in either Cyrodiil or Skyrim, and if so, for how long?

Cidhna Mine is the only real example, although I imagine hard labour is quite common across the Empire. Jail cells are just how arrest was implemented in Oblivion and Skyrim, but according to Morrowind dialogue hard labour is actually an important part of the imperial justice system, used to make reparations to society and the victim's family.

Also, how could I role-play the restrictions on Talos worship in the Imperial Holds? Would a suspected worshiper simply be imprisoned in a nearby fortress awaiting extradition into Thalmor hands, or would they be brought directly to North Watch Keep or the Embassy?

The Imperials don't care to enforce that law. Instead they give Thalmor agents jurisdiction to arrest offenders, and since the Thalmor have diplomatic immunity they can do what they like to Talos worshippers, whether that be kidnapping/torture or summary execution. Of course, the only reason the Thalmor became so adamant about enforcing that law is because of Ulfric's open defiance. They mostly left Skyrim alone before he came to power.

And despite extreme structural and exterior damage to Helgen, would it be possible that either the Stormcloaks or Imperials would use the somewhat intact prison beneath the fort, after clearing it of bandits?

Nah, Helgen was destroyed. Pretty sure its dungeons are ruin-tier now.