Again, I've fallen out of issue writing. I had this idea a while ago, but I'm afraid it hasn't turned out quite the way I wanted. So, I guess I need your help, NS!
(Thanks to Quebec for the extensive pre-edit)
Name: Prison Pursuits
Validity: Valid for all nations with prisons that have not explicitly outlawed prison labour.
Description: As the national prison budget continues to skyrocket, the government has turned to the prisoners themselves for cheap labour in an effort to keep the system afloat. The forced labour, however, has drawn the criticism of several leading human rights organizations in @@NAME@@.
[option] "I go in for medical testing," croaks prisoner @@RANDOMNAME@@, from a gaunt face with recessed, red-rimmed eyes, "Harry does textiles. I think one guy in block D helps with security at a factory. We earn a few @@CURRENCY@@s; nothing major. It makes life here more bearable. The guards tell me it's the only way we keep the prison system afloat - all the money pouring in from the corporate fat-cats. Me? I think it's a way to repay what I owe to society. I never meant to do what I did, and now at least I can help some people now. And, hey, I always liked having needles stuck into me. It's what I'm in here for."
[effect] @@NAME@@'s prison population are routinely occupied doing everything from experimental medical testing to uranium mine supervision
[stats] economy grows slightly, taxes fall slightly, corruption rises slightly, economic freedoms rise slightly, civil rights fall slightly, healthiest citizen ranking rises slightly, lifespan rises slightly
[option] "This is an abuse of the basic tenets of @@NAME@@'s society!" exclaims civil rights commentator, @@RANDOMNAME@@, waving their arms about unnecessarily, "A jail sentence should do what it says on the tin - if only for the peace of mind of the victims, not to mention the prisoners themselves. It is totally unfair that some should come out of prison, the experience being one of hard and degrading labour with less than a pittance to make it worthwhile, while others - often in for far worse offenses - should breeze through the system having spent a few short months doing something they enjoy. We must end the prison labour system, once and for all.
[effect] prison has returned to the days of staring at cell walls as the major activity following the end of prison labour
[stats] economy contracts slightly, taxes rise, corruption falls, civil rights rise, economic freedoms fall slightly, law and order spending rises, health indicators fall very slightly
[option] "If you're not defined by this society, you are outside it," grumbles radical political thinker, @@RANDOMNAME@@, whose book, "Jacobinism and You" went on to inspire a generation of 13 year old "intellectuals", "Sure. There are some offences that don't merit it. But my thinking is this: if you enough of a risk to society to require being put in prison, you have clearly rejected the principles by which that society is governed, and are no longer entitled to its protection. And, by that, I mean execute the entire prison population. It'll save us this whole issue."
[effect] the international community has recoiled in disgust following the execution of the entirety of @@NAME@@'s prison population
[stats] economy contracts slightly, civil rights plummet, most avoided soars, crime falls drastically, law and order spending falls, most extreme ranking rises significantly
[option] "Dear me - isn't that a bit harsh?" exclaims shocked homekeeper, @@RANDOMNAME@@, a rich pie cooling on the windowsill, "Oh, can't we just get rid of the problem somehow? Send them all to some lovely sunny island in the sea, and destroy any boats to come back. And then forget about it all! It'll be like an endless holiday for them, and they won't be able to harm us or cost us any more of our dear @@CURRENCY@@s - apart from the risk of some kind of prisoner rebellion or some poor innocent soul being sent along, it's a flawless plan!"
[effect] rumours of a prisoner pirate colony off the East coast of @@NAME@@ have been growing following the exile of all of @@NAME@@'s prisoners there
[stats] economy grows very slightly, taxes fall, law and order spending falls, crime falls, civil rights fall, most extreme ranking rises slightly, tourism industry shrinks slightly, corruption rises slightly
