Slashdot Mirror
Proposal for UK Prisoners to be Given RFID Implants
Raisey-raison writes "There is a proposal in the UK to implant "machine-readable" microchips under the skin of thousands of offenders in an effort to free up more space in British jails. The article states that uses are being considered both for home detention, as a means to enforce punishment, as well as for sex offenders after their release. Many view this as a slippery slope leading to much wider use; starting as a purely voluntary act and gradually becoming more compulsory, it would endanger human rights and privacy. There are also health questions involved, given that long-term studies have linked similar implants to cancer in lab mice and rats. Ironically, the same technology has been proposed for medical purposes as well. In the USA, some state agencies have already made decisions about this issue.
The government will expand laws.
The government (i.e. US) needs to be realistic about what it wants to make a crime (say minor drug use) or how severe it wants to make the penalty (life sentence restrictions for being caught being a peeping tom in your 20's).
This approach hides the cost of enforcing so many laws on society and encourages more laws.
She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
I already see ads on TV for ethanol, caffeine and taurine.
Look at some actual research. Ecstasy is less dangerous than tobacco or alcohol.
I want to be able to buy ecstasy legally. I don't mind if it's taxed (charge £10 for four tablets, give £9 to charities or the NHS if you like). They can put some big warning notices on the box too, like they do for tobacco, and a recommended maximum dose, like they do for alcohol.