With unemployment and boredom rife in Mega-City One, many citizens, especially juves, join gangs. Many gangs identify with and recruit solely from a single block, whilst others pull in members from all across the city, attracted to the gang’s philosophy, colours, or charismatic leader. Many gangs will simply protect their own territory and try to take control of the local ‘black economy’ of illegal drugs and other banned substances such as tobacco, sugar, Umpty Candy and 20th-century comic books. Other gangs identify with causes or crazes, including the many anti-robot and anti-mutant outfits such as the ‘Neon Knights’ and ‘Purity First’ or anti-Judge and pro-democracy terrorism like the ‘Total War’ group. Others go on to specialise in organised crime such as body-sharking, organ-legging, alien- and perp-running!

Potential Judge candidates are usually inducted into the Academy of Law at the tender age of five. Here, they are subject to rigorous academic training in all aspects of the law that governs the North American Mega-Cities. By the end of the process, they have acquired a level of knowledge that would exceed those of the most senior lawyers and justice officials of the early 21st century. In parallel to their academic training, they undergo an intensive physical and mental exercise programme that hones their firearms and close combat skills whilst also preparing them to endure the various injuries and physical hardships that life patrolling the streets will throw at them. Whilst the life of a cadet is mostly taken up by study and training, if a particularly serious situation or crisis demands the Justice Department deploy more manpower, cadets may be armed and sent out onto the streets, usually as part of a carefully monitored team engaging in fairly low intensity operations. One highlight of a cadet’s continual assessment is the ‘Hotdog Run’ where a group of cadets accompanied by Senior Judges are sent on patrol in the radioactive hell of the Cursed Earth beyond the Mega-City’s walls. However, during the Necropolis and Chaos Day incidents cadets were deployed into highly dangerous situations normally only handled by a fully qualified Judge. Many cadets performed bravely and well, as befitted their training, but the losses incurred had serious future implications for the Justice Department when it was already struggling to maintain enough qualified Street Judges.