Technological advancements had affected every aspect of society, and the prison system was no exception. It was clear the old ways had not worked. In the past, many ex-convicts left prison harbouring unhealthy amounts of bitterness and resentment toward the system. Once released, they would often fall back into the same old patterns that had landed them in jail in the first place. The rationale for locking people up used to be: punishment, protect society, deterrence, and rehabilitation. The new reformed prisons still incorporated all those elements, but there was a much stronger emphasis on rehabilitation than there had ever been before. At the core of the new model was free education.
In some cases, inmates could have their memories wiped and even their genetics reprogrammed. The latter involved a non-invasive procedure that would alter particular genomes, causing new neural pathways to be formed. This would often produce new patterns of thinking and behavior to emerge that would eliminate any proclivity to nefarious activity. While the science hadn't been perfected, it had been proven to be effective with certain individuals. As a result of the free education and genetic reprograming, recidivism was quite low.
***
Alex sat in her cell enjoying a classic, Homer's Odyssey – a book she had always meant to download, but never had the time until now. Fluent in both Ancient and Modern Greek, Alex wanted to experience the book as it was originally intended so she had downloaded the Greek version. She took her time, slowly going over each line of text in her head.
ὣς φάτο, τοῦ δ᾽ ἤκουσε περίφρων Πηνελόπεια, Κι ἡ Πηνελόπη ἡ γνωστικιὰ τὸν ἄκουσε, κι ἀμέσως ἀμφίπολον δ᾽ ἐνένιπεν ἔπος τ᾽ ἔφατ᾽ ἔκ τ᾽ ὀνόμαζε· τὴν παρακόρη μάλωσε, καὶ φώναξέ της κι εἶπε...
Suddenly, her concentration was interrupted by a knock on her cell door. "Ms. Gray, you have a visitor," a prison guardian said.
Alex was escorted down a long corridor toward the visiting room. When she entered, she was excited to see Milo standing there with a huge smile on his face.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Milo said.
Alex laughed. "No, not at all."
As she approached closer, Milo was able to get a good look at her face.
"Oh my gosh. Alex, your face is all bruised up."
"It's nothing."
"I was about to ask how prison life is, but now I don't need to. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I was assaulted by a group of women who could easily have passed for men."
"Looks like they got you pretty good."
"I consider it a badge of honour – an initiation if you will."
"I'm so sorry, Alex. I wish I had been there to protect you."
"You, protect me?" Alex mocked him. "No offense, Milo, but I'm fairly certain these women would have beaten you up as well. Besides, I don't think anyone will bother me again. Mara is well respected in here and told everyone not to mess with me. So far, nobody has."
"So when are you getting out of here?"
"I'm not sure. I'm still waiting for a trial date."
"There's hardly any crime so our courts aren't that busy. What's taking so long?"
"Milo, it's only been a few days."
"I know, but it feels longer."
"Yeah, tell me about it."
"Don't worry, Alex, you'll be out in no time."
"Depends on how sympathetic the judge is to my case. If not, I'm looking at five years in prison."
"What's the best case scenario?"
"The best case is that the judge issues me a warning, but in the past, they've come down harshly on these types of crimes."
"Why is that?"
"Because people value their privacy."
"But didn't Jeremy Bentham once say, 'Where there is no publicity there is no justice. Publicity is the very soul of justice. It is the very spur to exertion and the surest of all guards against improbity'."
"He did, but he was referring to transparency within our court system, not private individuals. The Wikileaks Act forces governments to disclose all information about its operations. But with so much transparency, people were concerned about their private information being leaked as well. Therefore, strict laws were enacted, which severely punish those who procure personal information by illicit means."
"Such as hacking into a government database."
"Precisely."
"But the information you acquired was about you," Milo said.
"That may not matter. We'll have to see what the judge says. Sometimes the end does not justify the means."
"So what's Mara like?"
"You've met her. She's a bit intense, but underneath her rough exterior, she's kind. Unfortunately, some of her views are a little radical and unsubstantiated."
"That's a dangerous combination."
"I agree, but I've had some talks with her and I'm trying to show her a better way."
"How's that working?"
"It's working well. As with any of us, sometimes we need to be shown a better way in order to evolve."
The two continued to talk for another ten minutes before a guardian instructed them that visiting time was over. Alex and Milo said their goodbyes and gave each other a hug.
"See you on the outside," Milo quipped.
Alex just smiled before being escorted away. Milo remained where he was and watched her until she left his sight.