Cyberware in prison Options

[Loestal]

I was wondering, how is cyberware handled in say, max sercurity prisons. Say if an inmate has cyber eyes...what do they do? Surely they don't remove the eyes. Would they just leave them be? Obviously there would probably be no wi-fi connections to the Matrix in the area. But say cyber arms and spurs. Do they remove them, or just leave them in? This is going to come into play when I have a party of mine attempt a prison break. Any info would help.

[Kanada Ten]

Some cyberware they remove (spurs, cyberguns, anything with an F code), some cyber is simply disabled and requires surgery to fix. Some things, say cybereyes, could have IC loaded onto them to prevent access of high end functions. Cyberarms could be removed and replaced with cyberprosthetics, if they posed a threat.

Some max prisons are also built in mana dead zones, as well, though these are usually reserved (is that a pun?) for magicians and adepts.

[hyzmarca]

And lets not forget virtual prisions. Who needs guards when you can just hook everyone up to a UV host and feed them slop through a tube.

[Glayvin34]

I haven't noticed anything in the SR4 book, but you could install programs to reduce cyberlimbs to have physical stats of 1, spurs can't extend, that kind of thing. Or Kanada's removal of weapon systems, I bet that takes 5 minutes. Then back it up with serious encryption and passcodes, Data Bombs and Kink Bombs.
From page 331, in Headware, note the final sentence:

[Loestal]

All very good and helpful ideas thanks. But it posses a problem. I need for the party to get caught "on camera" inside the prison and was gonna use an inmate using his cyber eyes to take a few pictures and use that to lessen his sentance or something. Although I will admit, I'm not THAT familiar with Lone Star prison systems, or even if Lone Star has prisons. But that was the idea I was gonna go with, but it really doesn't seem that logical now...hmmm..if anyone could give me a hand here I would appreciate it.

[Kanada Ten]

Makes perfect sense actually. Prisons often have inmates play informant for favors: extra cigarettes, women, drugs, the good work detail, and so on. These can often be life with no parole types, since they have nothing to lose and maybe a transfer to a lower security prison to gain.

[Dale]

I could have sworn in a shadowrun adventure in a magazine years ago there was an adventure where the pc's had to infiltrate a prison as prisoners and there was the option of getting handblades, etc... implanted from a psycho cybersurgeon in their cell block.

[Squinky]

What??!! Take away a persons right to use their cybereyes? I'm calling the ACLU...

I could imagine a person with limbs being given cheap plastic ware in place of the sturdier stuff, and you can be sure they are wired right up to a hacker in a control room who can take over them if need be. For that matter, I think most prisons would use prisoner cyber-eyes unknown as surveliance. They may think they had their recording functionality turned off, but someone is looking through their eyes in a control room somewhere...

[Kanada Ten]

[Loestal]

Hm...well alright then. I guess I'll go with my original idea then. Something else that crossed my mind, what about bioware. There isn't alot they can do about that unless they go thru the surgery which would be expensive for the prison I would imagine. Anyways, thanks alot guys...you've actually helped alot.

[James McMurray]

I don't know that they'd really do a lot to begin with. I don't picture Shadowrun prisons as places where human dignity and rights is a big concern. Let the guy have his wired reflexes 3. What's the worst he'll do, smack around some other inmates? They're all criminals anyway, and most of them are probably SNIless except for their shiny new criminal SIN. Most prison gaurds would work from a distance via rigged security, sleepy gas in sealed chambers, etc.

[Kanada Ten]

There is only a few pieces of bioware that would help one escape from prison or increase your threat level: Toxin Extractor and Tracheal Filter (nanite removal), Skin Pocket (stitched up), Bone Density (atrophy drugs to decrease Str) and Muscle Augmentation (atrophy drugs - like they use on trolls).

[Loestal]

Very true, which is something I considered. But leaving so much hi-tech gear in the hands of criminals would be very risky. I mean hell, look at our prisons now. If a riot breaks out it's very hard to contain and they are using a toothbrush and lighter as weapons. Surely they wouldn't leave certain things just readily accessible.

[James McMurray]

They might. Most of the high threat prisoners they get will be SINless and/or violent criminals. Keeping SINless violent offenders in prison costs money. Money that corps don't like losing. If a SINless person is killed in a riot there will be nobody to mourn and (more importantly) nobody to sue.

Put the SINned prisoners in a different prison where you do keep an eye on prisoner safety and take pains to ensure dangerous cyberweaponry doesn't get through the gates.

[hyzmarca]

If I were running a SR4 prision I'd just give the prisioners knock-out drugs, slap 'trodes on them, and shove them into coffin sized lockers in a warehouse somewhere with tubes to feed them and remove their wastes. The UV host they are hooked up to would be modeled after a tropical island and they'll believe that they were banished there. I won't matter what kind of 'ware they have, they won't be able to access it in the real world. It doesn't matter what kind of magic they know. They'll only be able to cast spells in the simulaton. If they try to go to the metaplanes the simulation kicks them back to their bodies. If they are killed the simulation deposits them on another island and leaves a copy of their bodies. And all the while the system is streaming behavior programing and new skillsets directly into their minds. When they get out they'll have experienced several lifetimes away from society in their minds and have an irresistable urge to knit ishould they ever feel any antisocial feelings.

As for keeping violent offenders, prisions usually get paid per head. It is in their best interest to have as many inmates as is possible.

[NightHaunter]

[Smilin_Jack]

Check the SOTA64 Sourcebook - I don't imagine much has changed in 7 years. ;)

Cyber/Bio Monsters

1. Too expensive to rip out cyberwear or biowear.
2. Disable it by cutting a few wires, or implanting micro bombs set to go off if the 'wear is activated.
3. Datajacks and Chipjacks are fitted with a jackstopper.
4. Use of involuntary simsense 'rehabilitation'.

Mages

1. 24/7 Magemasks
2. 24/7 Simsense
3. 24/7 Hallucinogenic Drugs
4. Hideous background counts in most prisons
5. Manacles that prevent astral movement.


There's an entire section that deals with this in SOTA64, called "In the Joint".

Joining gangs, prison tech, prison dueling rules, etc.

[Toptomcat]

What about those who express as mages or adepts while on the inside? I imagine they could be pretty huge problems until the guards manage to get them into lockdown- particularly if they're subtle about it, as I'm willing to bet they don't screen formerly non-magical prisinors regularly...

[Grinder]

A prison probably has mages doing astral patrolling regularly. They will spot new awakened mages/ adepts pretty quickly and deal with them.

[Smilin_Jack]

SR prisons are fully capable of dealing with riots without endangering a single guard through the use of 'taser-capable floors' (extending from the common areas and into the cells), gas-delivery systems, and drones equiped with stun weaponry.

Prisons are also wired extensively for sound and audio, and most have several astral mages and spirits who patrol.

[Toptomcat]

[Smilin_Jack]

Well since its the Security Corps (Lonestar, Knight Errant, etc) that run and own the prisons - and they put the prisoners to work (no license plates - try textile goods, industrial supplies, electronic components, and a lot more besides). The prisoner pays for their own upkeep, and may be allowed to keep a small percentage by the Sec Corp.

The Sec Corp is also payed by the city/country/etc to house the prisoners.

Its big business - and with them housing 'violent' criminals .... they are going to hire mages for security.

[Loestal]

I would think I would create prisons just for mages, so therefore you can concentrate all your magical effort in one area.

[Toptomcat]

[Smilin_Jack]

The do that too.