Leia wrote....
A life sentence for theft is a little heavy too but the Federation aren't exactly strong on prisoner rights from what we see of their justice
system. Then Helen wrote...
In California you could get a life sentence for theft if it's the third time you are caught and the dollar value is high enough.
I never knew that. How high is 'high enough'?
I'm not sure what amount kicks it from misdemeanor to felony. Basically any felony, violent or *not*, is included as a strike in the three strikes law. Prosceuters have also, I think, sometimes counted felonies from the same series of events as seperate felonies in order to try for a 'three strikes' convinction. Anyone sentenced on a 'third strike' is supposed to be in jail for life. The prison industry is doing great business.
Vila was in and out of the system several times before he was made a
lifer, or so I
interpreted his comments on his past.
Yep I agree. I suppose when fiddling with his mind didn't work and locking him up for a finite time didn't work they resorted to a life sentence.
Yes. In his case, the system appeared to be working more or less justly. After all, he couldn't stand the idea of life without theivery even if it included safety and a woman who loved him. So he seems pretty much beyond redemption.
Now I'm wondering what determines whether a convicted criminal gets their mind messed with or gets locked up. Age? The Federation didn't seem to have any qualms about messing with the kids memories to get them to incriminate Blake. Seriousness of the offence? Repeated offences? Guessing from what little we've been given (Vila's treaments and imprisonment, the Federation's use of mind controls in general and desire to keep a labor force), the first step for nonviolent, nonpolitical crimes would be take them into custody and try to revise their minds to become law abiding citizens. It might even be possible to do this much without a trial-- after all, if you are already law-abiding, it won't change you, and if you are really guilty, it's necessary for you to become socially redeemed. Violent crimes may be harder to treat by conditioning. I would guess whatever methods they use work better on intellectual than emotional impulses toward crime; thus, the introduction of the limiter, and the failure of anti-theft conditioning to work on Vila, who has an emotional addiction to theft, rather than simple greed. Thus violent crimes are more likely to get a prison sentence-- likewise, sexual abberration like the pedophilia (the false charges on Blake). The behavior is more ingrained and harder to change. Then there is the political angle. I'm not sure there is a standard policy on this, and obviously, the Federation's real actions and its publicized ones are different. They fear political crimes so much they would rather covertly slaughter large groups than try to brainwash them. This from a society that appears to have no official death penalty (I may be wrong).
The really interesting thing, as someone brought up on list before, is Nova-- he's a pretty fresh-faced kid to be getting life himself.
And keen to help Blake and had been avoiding the drugs in the food on the London. Interesting. Now that you mention it, my best guess on Nova-- the son of one of the dissidents in the slaughter Blake narrowly avoided. He has the knowlege and political sympathies of his family, but rather than kill a youth with no active involvement, or take the risk of insufficient brainwashing, they sent him off on trumped up charges. Unlike Blake, Nova is not protesting innocence loudly but I can think of good reasons why. 1. He actually likes the idea of being sent to a prison planet-- there, he hopes, they can create a freer society. Australia turned out all right. :) 2. He's young; he's pretty... might as well let the inmates think he's got a violent record. 3. He also knows it won't do him any good. 4. He wasn't framed for anything as detrimental to his honour as Blake was. Of course, there are plenty of other reasons for him to be incarcerated, but given, as you say, he knew to avoid the drugs without being told and actually volunteered to join Blake's group, political crimes seem most likely.
In message 3AFEE48F.74E00171@jps.net, Helen Krummenacker avona@jps.net writes
General agreement with your post, but one point:
Now I'm wondering what determines whether a convicted criminal gets their mind messed with or gets locked up. Age? The Federation didn't seem to have any qualms about messing with the kids memories to get them to incriminate Blake.
Here it isn't the Federation, but corrupt Federation officials at the highest levels - not the same thing. What goes on behind closed doors is not necessarily what is allowed under official policy. Vila's psychiatric treatment seems to me to be an official part of the penal system, and attempt to reform him so that he is A Good Citizen, what was done to falsify a case against Blake was not part of the official system. You can't really draw any conclusions from what happened to the children in Blake's case other than a corrupt psychiatrist may have no qualms about abusing children in order to frame a political agitator.
Seriousness of the offence? Repeated offences? Guessing from what little we've been given (Vila's treaments and imprisonment, the Federation's use of mind controls in general and desire to keep a labor force), the first step for nonviolent, nonpolitical crimes would be take them into custody and try to revise their minds to become law abiding citizens. It might even be possible to do this much without a trial-- after all, if you are already law-abiding, it won't change you, and if you are really guilty, it's necessary for you to become socially redeemed.
And once you've been cured of your unfortunate mental illness, you'll be terribly grateful to the state for your medical treatment.
Then there is the political angle. I'm not sure there is a standard policy on this, and obviously, the Federation's real actions and its publicized ones are different. They fear political crimes so much they would rather covertly slaughter large groups than try to brainwash them. This from a society that appears to have no official death penalty (I may be wrong).
I don't think it's ever directly addressed in the series, but there may be a parallel with the judicial system in England at the time transportation was used - transportation was offered as a humane alternative to the death sentence, but the death sentence *was* still an option available to the judiciary.
-
Helen Krummenacker -
Julia Jones