If we had a larger player base then prison would be a definite option. However, reading this post, especially the forced labor part, I've come to another idea.
What if there was a 'jail' meant for short term shit. Somewhere between a fine and clone death. A place where you were sent, perhaps the existing prison structure, where you had a coffin, access to the SIC (perhaps just in specific areas) and the ability to 'work'.
You would be sentenced to a certain amount of 'work hours'. It wouldn't really be about 'money' but about paying off your debt to society.
Instead of the Judges giving you clone death, for your repeat offenses, given that death really isn't that big a deal, since you have a clone, you'd get dumped into the prison and wouldn't be able to leave until you had logged enough hours of 'work'.
The work part would be pretty dull I expect, but in the process of working you could be making connections with some of the NPCs that have much longer terms then you. IE: 10-15 years. These NPCs would be a mix of new and existing NPCs. You could make connections, form alliances, etc.
There would be the opportunity, some times, to shorten your stay by doing favors for guards, or other inmates with pull.
The sentences would carry a maximum of say, 24 hours. That means something like a week in jail for a normal player.
I think not only is this a good alternative to clone death, but also a great motivator to breed smarter criminals and less flagrant law breakers.
As it is now, if you're caught, you're most likely out in an hour with clone death. No biggie to a player, but if you might get tossed in the pen for 5 hours of work, that takes you off the streets where you do your biz. Stops you from making money.
You would still have the SIC for the most part, so you would have the ability to communicate and RP using that, but you couldn't backup your friends, etc.
Also, I think combat would most likely be restricted except in certain 'off-limits' areas that you would need a guard to let you into. So no running around attacking the first NPC you see in order to get killed and clone out of prison, but still leaving it possible to catch a beat down, or beat someone else down, even kill them, if they fuck with you.
The gangs would be predominant in there. Picking one is your best way to survive and prosper, but you wouldn't be in for very long stints, though you could have repeted visits.
Perhaps, there would even be scale. Say you're busted, the judge doesn't get to decide how long you go in for, you just get dumped in, the prison knows if you have been there before or not, and it decides automatically how long you stay.
First time: 1 hours work.
Second time: 3 hours work.
Third time: 5 hours
Fourth 10 hours.
Etc, etc. The more you go, the longer your stay. Sort of like how your chance of catching DCD goes up the more times you clone.
I think this is a happy median between a working prison and a realistic long term addition to the game. It's also keeping with CP as the corps would be paying for the prison in return for having menial labor jobs completed (think SHI).
The book of law could even be amended so that crimes carry an initial prison sentence. The tac-comps would track how much time you'd spent in prison. Clone deaths would only be dealt out to repeat offenders. Instead of banishment or cryo, longer prison terms could be served. IE: 48-72 hours of work logged.
I think this is a good way to get around the 'well we banished them and they snuck back into the city so nothing has really changed' problem.
It puts a real fear into the character and into the player, without completely cutting them off from RP and their release date is dependent on their own work.