"Crime and Punishment" redirects here. For Grounders, see Grounders/Crime and Punishment.

Among the various human factions on the ground and in space, punishments for various crimes take many forms depending on the severity of the crime and the age of the criminal. Prisoners of war are also confined and/or tortured. When citizens of The Ark break the law, they will be confined or will be floated.

Juvenile LockupEdit

Pilot 006

Skybox, Juvenile Lockup

According to Ark law, if someone under the age of 18 is arrested, they are held in Juvenile Lockup until they turn 18. At that point, they get a review before the Council for the crimes they committed. The Council can either acquit them or find them guilty. If found guilty, the punishment was flotation.

After the oxygen shortage on the Ark reached critical levels, all one hundred of these juvenile delinquents were sent to Earth. The goal was to see if Earth was survivable and to give the Ark more time to fix the life support problem. In exchange, the juveniles were pardoned for their crimes.

Notable CrimesEdit

Clarke Griffin Treason[1] Pilot (mentioned)
Earth Kills (flashback)
Jasper Jordan Theft of rationed medicine
Misuse of medical resources[2]
Pilot (mentioned)
Monty Green Theft of rationed medicine
Misuse of medical resources[2]
Pilot (mentioned)
Octavia Blake Being an illegal second child[3] Pilot (mentioned)
His Sister's Keeper (flashback)
Finn Collins Illegal spacewalk

Wasting oxygen on an illegal spacewalk

Pilot (mentioned)
Spacewalker (flashback)
Wells Jaha Damaging the Last Tree[4] During the Pilot
Charlotte Assaulting an Ark Guard Earth Kills (mentioned)
Dax Murder Day Trip (mentioned)
Nathan Miller Theft Long Into an Abyss (mentioned)
John Murphy Setting fire to an Ark Guard's quarters Join or Die (mentioned)
Jones Vandalism[5] Join or Die (deleted scene)


Jake float3 1x03

Jake Griffin is floated for treason

According to Ark law, capital Punishment in the form of Flotation occurred on The Ark when someone the age of 18 or older convicted of committing a crime, regardless of its nature or severity.

This is a type of execution where a condemned was placed into an airlock chamber which is then opened, exposing them to the outside elements and forcing the person's body to be sucked into the open space, resulting in death from lack of oxygen and negative pressure. Rarely, an adult prisoner may be granted a stay of execution by The Council, as in the case of Dr. Abigail Griffin during a medical crisis.

Notable Stayed ExecutionsEdit

Abigail Griffin Theft of medical supplies
Illegal salvaging (of Mir-3)
Unauthorized ship launch
Pirating The Ark's communications systems
Work-release due to Abby's invaluable medical expertise Pilot
Murphy's Law
Twilight's Last Gleaming
Commander Shumway Attempted assassination of Chancellor Jaha (shooting) Murdered by Diana Sydney; made to look a suicide Pilot
His Sister's Keeper
Day Trip
Cuyler Ridley Bombing the Unity Day Pageant Escaped, died in the Exodus ship crash Unity Day

Notable ExecutionsEdit

Jake Griffin Treason Pilot (mentioned)
Earth Kills (flashback)
Callie Cartwig Unknown Between Pilot and Earth Skills[6]
Charlotte's Parents Unknown Earth Kills (mentioned)
Aurora Blake Having a second child (Octavia) His Sister's Keeper (flashback)
Alex Murphy Theft of rationed medicine (for his son) Pilot (mentioned)
The 48 (mentioned)
Survival of the Fittest (mentioned)


Inclement Weather 005 (Murphy and Bellamy)

Murphy and Bellamy are imprisoned

Shortly after Camp Jaha was established, a secure room was quickly set up to detain prisoners (specifically Bellamy and Murphy). Over time, this room became known as the "Stockade" as more people were imprisoned. When Carl Emerson was captured, Raven built an airtight prison out of an airlock for him so Jackson could safely remove his outer protection to treat his radiation burns.

Notable prisonersEdit

Bellamy Blake Assaulting John Murphy Escaped (aided by Abigail Griffin) Inclement Weather
John Murphy Shooting Raven Reyes Escaped (aided by Abigail Griffin) Inclement Weather
Rivo of the Woods Clan Prisoner of war Released by Chancellor Kane Reapercussions (captured)
Human Trials (released)
Thelonious Jaha Treason (trying to usurp Chancellor Griffin) Released by Chancellor Griffin Long Into an Abyss (arrested)
Survival of the Fittest (released)
Raven Reyes Punching Major Byrne Released by Chancellor Griffin Spacewalker
Carl Emerson Prisoner of war Released by Clarke Griffin Coup de Grâce
Lincoln Altercation in Medical Executed by Chancellor Pike Hakeldama (arrested)
Stealing Fire (executed)
Numerous sick Trikru, including Denae Interned by Pike for being Grounders Possibly released Hakeldama
Sinclair Treason (arrested by Bellamy) Escaped Terms and Conditions (arrested)
Stealing Fire (escaped)
Marcus Kane Treason (arrested by Pike) Escaped Terms and Conditions (arrested)
Stealing Fire (escaped)
Ilian Set the station ablaze (Arkadia) Released by Marcus Kane and Thelonious Jaha The Tinder Box

We Will Rise (arrested and release)

Other Forms of Punishment Edit

Banishment Edit

Once on Earth, the Delinquents quickly discovered they needed rules to survive. As co-leaders of the 100, Clarke Griffin and Bellamy Blake ordered the banishment of John Murphy after the suicide of Charlotte.

Shock LashingEdit

Reapercussions 058 (Byrne and Abby)

Abigail Griffin is given 10 shock lashes

After the rest of the Sky People arrived on earth, they put into effect the Exodus Charter. Under the Exodus Charter, unauthorized use of firearms was to be punishable as a felony with 10 shock lashes. Abigail Griffin was punished after committing said felony (providing guns to the Delinquents).


Torture is used by the various factions to get information out of prisoners of war. It was first used by the Delinquents on Lincoln but proved ineffective. Later, it was again used by the Delinquents when they questioned Delano, leading to false information and the Tondc Massacre. The Sky People also threatened to use torture with both Rivo and Emerson in order to get them to talk.

Other ExecutionsEdit

When Murphy was blamed for murdering Wells, the Delinquents tries to execute him by hanging, but Charlotte reveals herself to be the true killer.

Lincoln was executed by Chancellor Charles Pike when he shot him in the head. This execution was also part of the Exodus Charter. After Ilian burns down the Alpha Station, the angry Sky People wants him executed as Octavia tries to execute him by shooting him in the head, but could not.

Notes and TriviaEdit

  • In the novel, a nurse injected the convicted person with a lethal serum before flotation occurred.
  • Bellamy Blake was charged in absentia for his attempted assassination of Chancellor Jaha in Pilot in order to get on the dropship with his sister, Octavia. He was later pardoned in Day Trip by Chancellor Jaha in exchange for revealing it was Commander Shumway who had set up the assassination attempt.

See Also Edit