Laws
Every Mayan state had different laws as they each had different rulers. The laws were issued by the halach uinic and his council or if the state did not have a halach uinic then the laws were just issued by the council. The batabs were responsibly for carrying out these laws, serving as administrates and also as judges. Court cases were generally carried out quickly in public meeting houses. They were conducted orally and written records were not maintained. Witnesses testified under oath and there is evidence to suggest people at court were represented by people who were a bit like modern day attorneys. Batabs would reveiw the evidence, evaluate the case, consider whether it was an accident or not and decided the appropriate punishment. Decisions made by the Batab were final and the accused could not appeal although the victims could pardon the accused which would result in a less severe punishment. If they were found guilty, their sentences were carried by the tupiles.
Punishment
The Mayan did not have prisons but they may have had wooden cages that were used as holding cells for individuals who were awaiting their punishment. The batab could decided a punishment for the guilty. If a crime occurred that affected someone in another town the batab's from the two towns would work together to fix the problem. The batab usually made the decisions on his own, but if the case was serious enough, would consult the halach uinic before deciding on a punishment or deciding the accused was innocent.