The first thing the Romans did with someone accused of a crime was to give him a trial. Where this trial took place depended on the status of the accused and the type of crime. A petty crime by someone of the lower class would be tried by one of the praetors and if found guilty the man would be fined and set free. A capital crime, such as murder had special courts and if the man were found guilty he could face the death penalty, again depending upon the status of the person he murdered and the circumstances of the crime. However, a man accused of treason or a public official accused of corruption, both of these defendants, usually being of a high status, would be tried before the Senate.

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