Prison System in the Blackhelm Confederacy

Overcrowding is a major problem at prisons across the Blackhelm Confederacy

The Prison System in the Blackhelm Confederacy deals with the punishment and rehabilitation of all criminals convicted of offenses within the Blackhelm Confederacy.

At any given time, just over fifteen and a half million people are serving time behind bars in the Blackhelm Confederacy. Of course, to house, feed, and rehabilitate these inmates the nations must spend billions in tax payer dollars, making the Blackhelm Confederate National Corrections Bureau, or BCNCB, easily one of the largest expenditures in the government budget, second only to national defense.

Disease Control

In most nations of the world, prisoners are between fifty to one hundred percent more likely to contract tuberculosis than the general population. Additionally, many nations have anywhere from seventeen to twenty five percent of the nation's HIV/AIDS victims also behind bars. For the safety of both staff and other inmates, prisoners admitted to the BCNCB who have tested positive for either disease are segregated from the general population and relegated to specific areas of the prison in which they are being detained. These segregation facilities are specially suited to the needs of those being held within their walls, and not only help to make the inmates lives easier but also help to stem the spread of both diseases to other inmates as well as staff.

Physical ailments are not the only issues that need to be dealt with by the BCNCB either. Not surprisingly, a large number of new inmates exhibit some for of mental disorder, varying from a simple chemical dependence to full blown schizophrenia and dementia. To combat this, prisoners displaying any form of mental issue are labeled and distributed to detention centers accordingly. Those suffering the worst and most debilitating forms of mental disorder are either sent to a mental health facility if their is any hope of returning them to mainstream society, but more often then not those classified in the highest level of mental illness show no signs of rehabilitation, and offer no hope of proper reintegration. In these cases, sadly, the individual in question must be euthanized both to ensure safety of BCNCB staff, inmates, and society at large. Other inmates are given medication to treat their symptoms and then made to attend mandatory therapy sessions and other mental health proceedings for the remainder of their stay behind bars. Those displaying chemical dependency, however, are made to receive treatment even after their release from BCNCB custody.

Substance Addiction

Upon receiving an inmate charged with a narcotics crime or exhibiting chemical dependencies, a number of steps are taken to remove the dependency from the individual's life and to try and prevent his or her return to the correction system. Extensive rehabilitation sessions are mandatory, and education classes are given on the damages that narcotics can cause its victims, both mentally and physically. Drug offenders are, upon release, made to go to another rehabilitation class once a week for the six months following their freedom. Failure to attend is an immediate sentence of hard labor, and offenders are often given five years in a labor camp in the jungle. The fear of this fate is often enough incentive for individuals to stay on the straight path, however there are always those few who simply can not abandon their old ways and as a result the labor camps are never short staffed. Additionally, upon release, drug offenders are given the opportunity to find housing outside of their old neighborhoods to minimize chances of falling back into their old methods. While this is not mandatory, it is strongly suggested by BCNCB officials, and temporary government housing is available for former prisoners in every city and many towns throughout the Confederacy. Former inmates can stay in these lodgings until they can get on their feet and live on their own, and are given a year to find adequate employment and residence, although this can be extended for special circumstances.

Death Penalty

The laws of the Blackhelm Confederacy reserve the death penalty for use in cases of "heinous, atrocious and cruel" acts against the people of the Blackhelm Confederacy. As such, individuals convicted of certain cases of rape, torture, or other criminal acts may face the death penalty, despite not being themselves actual murderers.

for individuals placed on death row, the remainder of their lives are short and miserable, unless sentenced to death by work camp. While on death row, prisoners in the Confederacy are allowed only minimal exercise time and physical contact with other people, and their phone use is restricted to speaking only with their lawyer. They are served tasteless nutraloaf for every meal, providing them all of the necessary nutrition they need without the benefit of any taste. On top of this, photos of their victims are placed just outside their cells, as a constant reminder of the crime they committed to land them in the miserable position they are in.

The methods of execution vary from province to province, but most commonly a firing squad or lethal injection are used. A handful of smaller communities around the Backlands also still make use of the gallows as a form of capital punishment.

Post Release Control

Post-release control (PRC) is a period of supervision of an offender by the Confederate Parole Authority (CPA) following release from imprisonment that includes one or more post release control sanctions imposed by the Parole Board. In making the determination whether to impose discretionary post-release control, the CPA Board is required to consider the prisoner’s criminal history, any juvenile court delinquency adjudication, the record of the prisoner’s conduct while imprisoned, and any recommendations from local officials.

Offenders convicted of felonies of the first degree or sex offenses require a 5 year term of Post Release Control, and are not eligible for a reduction of that term. Offenders convicted of felonies of the second degree or felonies of the third degree wherein harm to a person is caused or threatened require a three year term of Post Release Control, but can be eligible for reduction after one year, provided they have demonstrated good conduct and sufficiently impressed their CPA handler.

All other felonies of the third degree and all felony four and felony five offenses, except sex offenses, may have a term of up to three years of Post Release Control imposed. Generally, if an offender meets a certain level of risk-based criteria, Post Release Control for a period of one year will be imposed. These offenders may be eligible for a reduction in the PRC term after 90 days.

Some of the factors considered when deciding to grant a reduction in the period of PRC are the overall history of supervision, compliance with any imposed special conditions, payment of restitution, violation behavior, and adjustment in the community. The ideal candidate for reduction will have demonstrated stability in the community and a reduction in his or her overall risk to recidivate.

Unreformed offenders

If an offender is on supervision and is convicted of an offense for which a prison term is imposed, he/she is considered to be an unreformed offender. These offenders are subject to different reduction criteria. Additionally, they may be required to complete any remaining supervision time from a prior period of supervision in addition to any new period of Post Release Control imposed, upon completion of the new sentence. Reduction criteria for recommitted offenders vary based upon the original offense, and the returned offense.