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Crime and Punishment

S

Sifu Blackirish

SOC-14 1K
IMTU there is finally a more humane method of rehabilitation than just warehousing prisoners as we do now.

Called 'behavioral deprogramming and personality adjustment' by the medical team that developed it about 2040 or so, it was almost universally adopted as a replacement for the death penalty. There is no prejudice attached to anyone receiving this treatment, and they are model citizens. However, they are forever devoid of strong emotions--of any kind. A law abiding but bland existence is their fate.

Later on, in the Dominion Era (about 2250 or so), adjustment is used as a political tool to eliminate rivals. Condemned criminals are used as cannon fodder in wars of expansion.

By the Alliance Era (2400 or so), people have changed. Widespread psionics make it easy to treat mental illness.

Such is a quick overview of things in my ATU. Anyone want to share what they do?
 
Different worlds have different solutions to criminals and their punishment. Perhaps not necessarily realistic, it makes for good adventure fodder and isn't so unrealistic anyone shakes their heads at the table.

The entire gamut of punishment is run - from donjons from the middle ages, to the prisons of today, to just dumping criminals on remote islands or prison worlds. One of the most darkly whispered about worlds for punishment of criminals was Hyuin IMTU, whose system revolves around criminals repaying their debt to society - it's a world run by a kind of slavery, though the criminals aren't really aware of it while the citizens see their own participation of it as perfectly fine (the system is detailed under thread about slavery on these boards).

Worlds with draconian penalties for crimes are generally interesting in that committing a crime there can quickly turn the players from "finishing to mission" to "get to the starship at any cost."

In my TNE-inspired campaign, there's the Unioners, whose state is run as a corporation. All crimes are punished by fines defined as a percentage of your net worth - the wealthier someone is, the more they have to pay, down to a minimum. This minimum, however, is the crux. If your fine is great enough and you have nothing else, the Union sees nothing wrong with removing your organs for organ transplants, which are used in the medically needy. They'll install cheap mechanical replacement organs into you, but of course upkeep or replacement is up to you - and the cost of surgery again, is paid by removing more of your organs to pay for them. If enough has to be removed that life really isn't possible afterwards, you're totally broken down into parts, and your family given a percentage of the market value. Piracy is particularly reviled by Unioners - any captured pirate is rendered down to organ transplants - every usable part. Skin, eyes, glands, blood, lymph fluids, bone marrow, everything and anything that can be reused is removed, the rest flash-burnt.

Naturally, players who captured some pirates gave them a choice: "Tell us what we want to know and we'll just put a bullet in your head and kick you out of the airlock. If you don't, we'll put you in low berths hand you over to the Unioners and revive you before handover just so you know where you're going."
 
I remembered a couple of fictional references that may inspire someone.

One is concerning a prison world. Convicts either hunt for reptiles, valued for skins used as officer armor since they have a chameleon feature, and tumbleweed creatures with a perfume gland.
Planet is interdicted. Attempts to steal space transport means you get fried from orbit.

Another one concerns an implanted 'conscience device' worn as a ring. Any violent act results in SEVERE pain.
 
Considering personality overlay machines can be built by TL15 I don't know why they don't just go for a memory wipe and install a brand new personality.
 
All about whose law you're under.

The question of "how do we rehabilitate" begs the question of whether we (or planet X) do: do we punish for retribution, deterrence, or do we do a bit of judicial triage? Among governments, here on Terra which are very close in law levels, TLs and governement types, we still can't agree, and have a hodge-podge of responses. The variety of responses in MTU is as wide as I can imagine it.

Obvious ones come to mind, for high law levels in less than open societies: mutilation, either fuctional or symbolic, tortuous death, variations upon low grade corporal punishment, marking, slavery of various ilks.

The ceremonial decapitation by the highest local noble plays into one of laws more important roles, the theatrical drama of government's reinforcement of their role and connection with societal mores. Obviously, if Joe Sikspaque is not screaming "Off with his pecker!!!" then such a display may have the opposite effect.

For more open, democratic, and "enlighted" societies, behavior modifications (either voluntary or otherwise) come into play, as do true rehabilitative efforts. Some of these will be also use tracking and remote survaillance of those under correctional supervision. Variations on the GPS tracking that the US does in extreme cases; couple that with computer survaillance, remote stun-gun/knockout meds, and the variations are endless...

Certainly confinement of some kind will be, for practical and symbolic reasons, part of most of these schemes at some stage, including pre-trial.

Remember, however, that law is more for the innocent than for the guilty, so whatever society we are travelling through, appearances will be more important than reality.

We got WAY more than 256 colors of law to play with, though, kids. Have fun!:rofl:
 
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