Legal Definitions - draconian

Draconian

The term draconian describes laws, rules, or measures that are excessively harsh, severe, or oppressive. It implies a lack of leniency or proportionality, often leading to disproportionately severe consequences for minor infractions or situations.

• Imagine a new city ordinance that imposes a mandatory fine of $5,000 for parking violations, regardless of the duration or location of the infraction. Additionally, repeat offenders face immediate vehicle impoundment and a 30-day suspension of their driver's license.

  This would be considered a draconian measure because the penalties (a $5,000 fine, impoundment, and license suspension) are extremely severe and disproportionate to the offense of a parking violation, which is typically a minor infraction.

• Consider a company's new attendance policy stating that any employee who is late for work, even by one minute, three times in a year will face immediate termination, without any prior warnings or consideration for mitigating circumstances.

  This policy could be described as draconian because it imposes the ultimate severe penalty (termination) for what might be considered relatively minor and common infractions (being slightly late), without offering any flexibility or a graduated disciplinary process.

• A proposed national security act grants authorities the power to indefinitely detain individuals suspected of certain crimes without formal charges or a trial, based solely on intelligence assessments that are not subject to public review.

  Such an act would be labeled draconian because it allows for an extremely severe restriction of personal liberty (indefinite detention) without fundamental legal safeguards like formal charges, due process, or the right to a public trial, making it excessively harsh and potentially oppressive.