My Utopian World part 4 - someone's listening!

So, you're still going to have to wait for the Education installment, as today (a day early) you get my Utopian World - crime & punishment, to tie in with the news story today.

Prisons:
Prisons are places of re-education& re-habilitation in my utopian world. I do not believe in punishment or revenge. I do believe that nearly everyone can make a useful contribution to society & will do so if given the right encourgement.
However, they are no luxury hotels!
Prisoners have to work a 5 day week. they can practise their profession if appropriate, work for the Community Works Service, or attend full time education or vocational training.
They get paid, and food & board is deducted. the remainder can be put into a bank account for their family, or for them to access on release.
All government institutions are drink & drug free (that includes tobacco - which is not available for public use anyway!).
On release, prisoners will be assisted to find accommodation & employment. They will also have access to a mentor to help them learn life skills.

Some people will not be applicable for release. These are people who are dangerous to society - either because they continue to re-offend, or because they do not understand the rules of society (Psycho/sociopaths) or because the nature of their offence was so abhorrant they could not re-enter society. They have seperate prisons/residential homes, and limited employment opportunities. These are run as self-sufficient Estates as much as possible.

Other penalties
obviously, most crimes do not require inprisonment. Other options available to Magistrates include:

• Fines - a percentage of income, not a fixed penalty
• Community service - with the Community Works Service, in addition to other employment/studies
• Tagging - either for a curfew, or a geographical limit
• Repair - direct compensation to the victim by repairing damage/repaying costs etc
• Asset stripping - where assets have been bought with illegally gained money, they can be taken to pay compensation to the victims or the government.
  

The Police
There are a variety of policing authorities in my Utopian World. They work in partnership with each other, but independently, with their own policies & procedures.

• The Transport Police - these are responsible for all transportation matters, from parking infringements to train security.
• Border Control - these are responsible for all movement across our national borders. Including immigration & customs & excise.
• The Criminal Investigation Police - All the criminal stuff.
• Corporate Investigations - Serious fraud, Health & Safety crimes, Internet abuse etc, just because it needs specialist & different skills.

Of course, my parenting licence & fantastic education policies mean there are very few crimes in the first place:-)
It is a proven fact that the majority of prisoners are below average education levels, and it seems fairly obvious that the more you have, the less likely you are to risk losing it all.
I also allow many activities that are currently illegal to take place in my Utopian World, under license, including most drug-taking and prostitution. I'll do a social affairs post another week-)

If you have missed the previous installments, you can find them below:
My Utopian World Part 1 - Introduction, Freight & Drugs
My Utopian World Part 2 - Immigration & Welfare
My Utopian World Part 3 -Childcare & Parenting