Jail can follow a critical crime failure, a maximum-Heat arrest, a smuggling bust or a failed attempt to release another prisoner. Your Jail screen shows the current reason and time remaining.
A sentence ends when its timer expires. You can also pay the guard bribe shown on the Jail screen. Its price depends on remaining time and player level; upgrades and events can modify it. A successful payment ends the sentence.
Another player can attempt to bust you out. You cannot use the player-bust action on yourself.
A bust attempt costs the helper 25 Energy and 10 Nerve. Bust skill and the target's remaining sentence affect the chance of success. Attempts become easier near natural release, but successful busts then award less Bust XP.
| Outcome | Effect |
|---|---|
| Success | Releases the target and grants Bust XP |
| Normal failure | Target remains jailed; helper gains 8 Heat |
| Critical failure | Target remains jailed; helper gains 18 Heat and risks their own jail sentence |
Failed attempts still spend the resources and grant a smaller amount of Bust XP. A critical failure's base helper sentence is half the target's remaining time, with a minimum of five minutes; applicable duration modifiers can affect it.
Certain active events can force bust success.
The prisoner list also includes jailed NPC workers. Busting a worker uses the same base resource costs and outcome rules. You may attempt to release your own worker.
A jailed worker's contract time continues to run. It cannot be manually paused while jailed, so release or natural expiry matters.
Mechanics checked against the game code on 16 September 2026.