Agreed 100%. I was just emphasizing what was said above .
To further what you're saying about self deference being common, you're completely right. I just usually try and coax them into explaining HOW it was self defense rather than just "Yeah, it was self defense." Having them explain the story behind it is what makes it fun, I love hearing that and always reward it as I should and everyone else, even if its a 90% reduced ticket. The difference between "It was self defense." to "See... What happened was that I was at my house and then this guy came out of nowhere and tried to rob me and my family, so I went upstairs..." is definitely noticeable. As long as the person in custody isn't 10 years old, they can definitely come up with something more than just a few words. The spectrum for roleplaying is endless, from something realistic to something about aliens. If someone isn't willing to take a minute or two to make it a little more enjoyable to enhance the civ to cop relationship, so be it, no one is entitled to a pardon unless it was the cops fault for something etc. Then again it's a light RP server so people shouldn't expect much.