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Originally posted by NGC2736
I think you could cut the number down by a wide margin.
First of all, a certain number would be non-violent types in for things like petty theft, soft drugs, burglary, white collar crimes, etc.... These would really be no more, or less violent than the guy next door under sit-x conditions. This is not to say that they would be harmless, but under sit-x conditions, neither is your next door neighbor in the burbs.
And then you have the long term convicts who are career criminals. Many of them will be out to settle scores with other convicts and selected parties, so under the "rules" of sit-x, they will kill off a good third (guess here) of there own type.
There will also be the drug crazies who will think of nothing except excessive use of whatever caused them to go down in the first place. These types are not survival oriented, and they would tend not to last very long under severe conditions and total freedom.
But there would be a core of hardened criminals that would both survive and thrive in an environment of chaos and little or no law. While I doubt that the number would be much higher than one-fourth of the total prison population, that group would be a serious threat to any and all that they encountered.
In the end, a person must trust no stranger until they show good cause to be trusted. I know that sounds harsh, but life will be harsh if such a day comes.
Originally posted by tjsteeler
Find an island and place all of the violent offenders there. You could give them books on how to grow crops and supplies etc... What they do with them from there is up to them. They are after all not fit to live in a civilized society.
Anyone see the movie No Escape with Ray Liotta?
Originally posted by nixie_nox
Isn't that what happened in Austrailia? They turned out pretty well,not to mention a fun group.
Originally posted by dr_strangecraft
Going by history, which is the only precedent I can think of . . .
Most inmates are either released with no questions, or slaughtered en masse.
I'm thinking of the Bolshevik revolution, as well as the french, Spanish, Cuban, etc., and the end of WWII.
Generally, occupying governing powers attempt to sort out the violent offenders from the political prisoners, like the Union Army did when occupying the South on Sherman's march to the sea; problem is, every prisoner claims he "was on your side" and is political rather than a criminal detainee.
Mobs are much more likely (I'm guessing here) to just shoot everyone. Particularly since mobs are generally egged on or led by the most radical elements. This would be particularly true if a fascist or militarist uprising seized power---as the genuine representatives of the people's will, they'd claim to "clamp down on crime." Probably with a round-the-clock firing squad.