
How Soylent and Oculus Could Fix the Prison System - minikites
http://maneatingrobot.com/96/prison-reform-via-soylent-and-oculus/
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mikeyouse
I can't decide whether this is a clever satire, a serious proposal, or a pitch
for an episode of Black Mirror.

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biomcgary
It is Minority Report minus the precogs, so I vote for options one and three.

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pdkl95
> Minority Report minus the precogs

Unfortunately, there is a huge push right now to create exactly this kind of
"pre-crime" nonsense. Don't ignore the "serious proposal" possibility, because
other people are treating it seriously. A lot of it is snake oil and wishful
thinking, but that never stopped a bad idea from being adopted.

[https://media.ccc.de/v/32c3-7457-predicting_crime_in_a_big_d...](https://media.ccc.de/v/32c3-7457-predicting_crime_in_a_big_data_world)

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DKnoll
Somehow you take what is already a terrifying concept, and turn it into
something even worse.

Even on your most basic points you manage to completely misunderstand the
nature of the prison system.

Do you really think non-ruggedised portable electronics will last 2 years in
the prison system? They often don't even last 2 years in the enterprise. I'd
expect the entire Matrix outfit you describe would have about a 15 minute
lifetime before it meets an untimely demise against a cell wall.

I don't see how putting 100% of inmates into solitary confinement conditions,
with the sole exception of also wiring them into the Matrix, is an appealing
alternative to the sexual assault of 21% of inmates.

Many countries with modern prison systems manage to rehabilitate prisoners
without stripping them of their humanity and also without being implicit in
their rape through inaction and indifference.

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gravypod
On an unrelated note, why would being trapped in a submarine be scary?

I'm sure given the right motivation and enough time you could figure out how
to empty the ballasts and get out or accidentally break something and die.

Sounds like a great adventure puzzle game, and with 50-50 odds too. I like
those odds better than floating away in space.

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chrismartin
Depends on the depth and air pressure inside the hull. Sudden decompression
can be a certain death sentence.

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NikolaeVarius
I 99% believe this is just a modern day "A Modest Proposal", but at the same
time, there is a part of me that could believe someone is actually serious.

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hotcool
After reading numerous experiences of long-term inmates and how difficult it
is for them to re-integrate with modern society,[1] it occurred to me that a
carefully modified version of Rejection Therapy[2] would help them (re)define
the boundaries of their environment.

Soylent and Oculus may work on the "inside", but neither are representative of
normal society. Rejection certainly is.

I like this out-of-the-box thinking though. We need more of it.

[1][http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/07/19/magazine/you-just-
got-o...](http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/07/19/magazine/you-just-got-out-of-
prison-now-what.html)

[2] [http://www.npr.org/sections/health-
shots/2015/01/16/37723901...](http://www.npr.org/sections/health-
shots/2015/01/16/377239011/by-making-a-game-out-of-rejection-a-man-conquers-
fear)

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gravypod
The soylent point is definitely of some substance although I don't know if
it's quite potable.

All puns aside. That would be a much better alternative to feeding prisoners
the food they currently get. It would be much more balanced and fair.

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b34r
That's kind of the point. Terrifying, but humane.

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paulddraper
This would make prison terrifying.

