Most of a nation on probation?

[Ray Dillinger]

On Thu, 5 Jul 2001, Aimee Farr wrote:

>Tim's comment about facial recognition ("Smart CCTV" on the signage) being a
>social mindgame does bring to mind predictions of a surveillance caste
>system and real-space criminal "blocks" or enclaves (i.e. Escape From New
>York). "We're watching you" = "Don't come here," pragmatically forcing
>undesirables outside legitimate transactional and social systems.

Right.  Between all the "offender databases" and "surveillance 
for your (cough) protection" and so on, anyone who's got a 
record winds up so completely frozen out of normal society that 
it becomes impossible for them to get by without continuing as 
a part of criminal society. 

It's the twenty-first century.  Nobody cares if you go straight 
anymore....

				Bear