User:Mackensen/Administrative nullification

This is a proposal of some kind. It has no official backing save Mackensen's, and even that is tentative.

Concept

Wikipedia does not have a formal mechanism for the removal of administrative rights. When such action is taken, it is either the result of an Arbitration Committee ruling, an Act of Jimbo, the decision of a steward, or some combination of the three. This, by and large, is not a bad thing. The removal of administrative rights (de-sysoping) is an uncommon act which carries considerable social stigma when not voluntary. Someone de-sysoped by any of the three above often has a great deal of difficulty getting the "bit" back. This may be an indication that the person is truly unfit to resume adminship, but it also might be an indicator of just how jarring a forced de-sysoping is.

This creates something of a problem. The community lacks a simple method to deal with problematic admin behavior that falls short of de-sysoping. That act is harsh, jarring, and often final. The Arbitration Committee has at times proposed administrative probation, but this act too requires the lengthy route of an arbitration case, which can take weeks, if not longer. What is needed is a method which falls short of an arbitration remedy but which nevertheless allows the community to rein in a problematic administrator for a temporary period of time.

The situation this proposal addresses is that of administrators whose judgement is not presently trusted by the community, but who, outside of purely administrative functions–blocking, protection, and deletion–is still a reasonable contributor. The goal is to channel him, or her, into a different part of the project where he can still contribute in a productive fashion.

Proposal

The proposal is for Administrative nullification. For a length of time to be determined, an administrator will be asked to stop using the tools. This would cover protection, blocking, and deletion. If said administrator used the tools, he could be reverted by any other sysop. If the action is worthwhile, someone else can and will do it, possibly even the reverting administrator. The point is this: the administrator needs to stop administrating. After a passage of time, if this person has been productive and worked well with others, nullification can be rescinded with good grace and without the stigma of a de-sysoping or an arbitration case.

Mechanism

This proposal relies on the consent of administrators to revert a fellow administrator. This requires the tools. For that reason, a consensus of administrators would be required to impose nullification on another administrator. The standard period of nullification would be one month, but this could vary depending on the situation. The goal is rehabilitation and productivity, not punishment. There are many ways to punish people, not all of them judicial. This is an attempt at something else.