Crime, Punishment, and Justice
If there exists anywhere in the cosmos a world that has no crime, we have yet to find it. Never the less, our world is largely free of crime due to its unique social, ideological, and economic structure. Persons commit crimes for a variety of reasons. If a society is to prevent crime, it is necessary to understand criminals and the forces that drive them to commit their illegal acts.
Theft is one of Mans most basic, fundamental crimes. People will steal when they have needs that they cannot afford to meet; they will steal goods that can be exchanged for food, money, or illicit drugs. Others will steal because they covet an item that is scarce, and they fear they will not be able to obtain it otherwise. Finally, some people steal "because they can"; for them it is a thrill to surreptitiously pocket something of value. The many motivations for theft are evident in the many terms in our language for the act. Thievery; to steal with stealth, rob; to take property using threat of violence, steal; to take property surreptitiously.
In our world, there is no money, and essentially no material want. Each person has access to all that he needs and essentially all that he wants within reason. Naturally some goods are scarce and when demand exceeds supply, they must be rationed or awarded by lottery. By providing our citizens with all of their reasonable needs and by awarding scarce goods fairly, with no privileged class, theft is kept to a minimum. Those who steal for psychopathological reasons, we can only offer treatment, either when their symptoms are recognized, or when they commit their crime.
Even in an advanced society such as ours, we have to confront the irrational, aggressive nature that is fundamental to the human being. Violence is unfortunately inevitable. However, from an early age we teach our children to cherish peace, to find amicable solutions to confrontations, and to sublimate anger and rage into productive ventures. We, as a people, do not tolerate violence.
Despite education and training, individuals do from time to time still commit crimes, and we have a system that allows us to establish as accurately as possible the facts surrounding an occurrence, the intent of the perpetrator, and the legal precedent for remedy, treatment, or if no other option, removal of the perpetrator from free society.
Our society does not promote pornography. On the other hand, we have laws that protect artists and the right to distribute reproductions of art. Our technology has advanced to the point that pornography that has been computer-generated is indistinguishable from real images, and so it is impossible to determine if an image represents a living human adult or child, a completely computer-generated fantasy, or some combination of the two. Therefore, we have no choice but to allow pornography as an artistic expression. Likewise, we do not preach hate, yet we guarantee the rights of artists to depict hate, violence, and vileness. We teach respect for all people and we abhor exploitation and the debasement of the human spirit.
Two crimes are considered so horrific that they are punished with immediate, permanent removal from society. Those are premeditated murder and witnessed rape. Premeditated murder involves a personal, planned conspiracy to rob a person of his life; to take a father from a child; to cheat society of a productive member. That act violates the very foundations of our teachings and cannot be remedied with psychological counseling or treatment, nor can the debt be repaid to the offended parties. Likewise, rape is a violent crime that robs a human of their dignity, their security, and their innocence. There is no legal remedy for this crime either, that will provide restitution for the victim.
Some other crimes may result in permanent removal from society on the first offense, if the offense is grave enough. For example, an act of actual or planned terrorism or an act of revolution or subversion could result in removal.
Most other crimes whether they be crimes against nature (polluting, wasting resources), destruction of resources, vandalism, inappropriate conduct, illicit drug production, or cruelty to animals, have similar remedies. Perpetrators undergo psychological evaluation and social investigation prior to the trial. It is mandatory that the State produce two witnesses at any trial; the evaluating psychologist and social worker. If, as a result of the trial, counseling or education is ruled to be appropriate for the offense, it is provided and monitored until the defendant is released from care. If a psychiatric disorder is found, the perpetrator is treated medically or through counseling until released from care. Appropriate long-term follow up monitoring is provided as well, to ensure compliance with medical treatments and social reformation. Depending on the perpetrators determined level of functioning, he may be recommended or ordered to live in a communal reform center or a communal residence for a period of time, or possibly permanently.
Repeat offenders are dealt with similarly, except that depending on the gravity of their offense, they may be removed from society. However, parole is possible for those individuals guilty of lesser crimes.
Our society does employ attorneys, both to represent the interests of society and the defendant. Since our legal code is very straight forward, and legal precedents are readily searched in the Unified Public Data Repository, they primarily assist pleading appeal cases and defending incompetents.
Civil cases are heard by our judges as well. But, without property, there are very few disputes to settle.
The Communal Reform Centers (CRCs) are similar to prisons in that the inmates cannot leave the premises without permission. However, some of the CRCs have essentially no security and are merely communal residences with specific social programs. Other CRCs do have a physical walled perimeter with guards. Each center has a medical practitioner, psychologist, and a staff of therapists. The primary goal of the centers is to return each individual to a productive life in society. In those cases where an individual cannot resume their life as a free member of society, there are two options. If that person is incompetent, they can be committed to a residential facility where they will be allowed to live as freely as their skills will allow. If the person is violent or malevolent they are transferred to the Penal Colony.
Our founders realized that there would be individuals whose evil, antisocial ways could not be treated, re-educated, or reformed, and that those individuals would not be able to live freely among the other good people of the world. For this reason, the Penal Colony was designated. An island was chosen with fertile soil and adequate fresh water. All technology was either limited or removed that would potentially lead to rebellion or escape. Simple tools and materials are made available to construct dwellings, fashion and repair clothing, as well as seeds, fertilizer, and supplemental foods. Inmates have access to limited resources from the Unified Public Data Repository, so that they may learn language and trades, view art, and access the Virtual Medical Center. Technological progress of the Colony is closely monitored, and when necessary dangerous materials or products are removed. The waters around the Colony are mined, and patrolled, making escape unlikely. Even if convicts were to escape, they would have difficulty re-entering society as they have no swipe card, and the DNA analysis required to obtain a new card would easily identify them.
These people, cast out of our society, are free to establish whatever form of government they wish. They may live lawfully or in lawless anarchy; the choice is theirs. Crimes committed at the Penal Colony are not punished except by the elected or self-appointed leaders of the Colony. Those inmates who are eligible for parole must make it their duty to survive until such time as they are freed. There is no help from the outside world. Life there has been described as "a living hell".