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[Killspree]

A random thought occurs, Doesn't Hanners still have the 'boyfriend' chassis her father built for her? I wonder if May would consider identifying as male.

[TinPenguin]

Pretty sure she sent it back. Something about not wanting exoskeletons in her closet?

[Kugai]

Somedays, it just ain't worth getting out of bed

Unless you have a Parole meeting

[Akima]

May's chassis-problems seem pretty typical of the systems for reintegrating people from the prison-system into society:
"Sure, we want you got get a job and stay out of trouble, so here's a blue body that falls to pieces to make that so much easier!"

[mustang6172]

A random thought occurs, Doesn't Hanners still have the 'boyfriend' chassis her father built for her? I wonder if May would consider identifying as male.

Hanner's said she'd send it back, but we never actually saw it leave.
Faye can probably reshape the shoulders and hips.  We've established it didn't have genitals* installed, so that'll save a step.  After that just give it a haircut, draw some eyebrows, and you're ready to go.

*It's not speculation if it's canon!  And as long as it's an empty chassis, I'm only referring to a prop, not a character.

[Neko_Ali]

I'm really kind of doubting that May is confined to that chassis, or that it is specific to ex-inmates. For the simple reason that if it was true, it would be continuing her prison sentence past her parole and release date. Essentially continuing to punish her after her time is served. Besides that, there is nothing visibly marking her, aside from the cheapness of the chassis and color, both of which we have seen in a number of other antropcs. I think more likely it was just a cheap chassis they get in bulk to install released AIs in, kind of the way a released prisoner is given some minimal supplies, then cut free with orders to 'report to your parole officer, get a job and stay out of trouble'. Working a probably minimum wage and maybe even part time job, she just doesn't have the money to buy a better chassis yet.

[TheEvilDog]

I get the feeling that having a poster saying "Don't Do Crime" in a parole officer office is kinda like closing the door after the horse has bolted.

[SomeCanadianWeirdo]

This seems to be pretty much working up to a "Faye builds May a body" plotline.  The other possible alternative, using Momo's old body, probably wouldn't appeal to May at all.

[Tova]

Hanner's said she'd send it back, but we never actually saw it leave.

But she almost certainly did.

[Gladstone]

Hanner's said she'd send it back, but we never actually saw it leave.

But she almost certainly did.

And she was glad to see (and squeeze) the back of it!

[Sullivan]

I get the feeling that have a poster saying "Don't Do Crime" in a parole officer office is kinda like closing the door after the horse has bolted.

I can't believe no one else has commented that the head in that poster looks a lot like Pintsize.

[Neko_Ali]

That's not unusual. A lot of anthropcs have been shown with the same chassis as Pintsize.

[Magniras]

I recognize this is a statement about some political issue that Jeff feels is important.  But I can't really sympathize with May.  I mean, she embezzled funds so she could become a fighter jet.  Doesn't seem like that would be the type of person that the government really wants to help.

[BenRG]

Yeah, I thought that the 'proper authorities' would be less than useless. She's going to end up under Faye and Bubbles' care alright.

I recognize this is a statement about some political issue that Jeff feels is important.  But I can't really sympathize with May.  I mean, she embezzled funds so she could become a fighter jet.  Doesn't seem like that would be the type of person that the government really wants to help.

So, you are saying that the government should withhold medical care from cons on probation, am I right? That they should guarantee that they reoffend by forcing them to use illegal providers, risk unlicensed practitioners or steal to pay for help?

[QuestionableIntentions]

Thankfully, May knows a certain Elliott-Chatham who could get her a replacement easily. If she bothered to ask for help, which I bet is the lesson intended for her here.

Planned by the global Meta-AI or even Station.

Things get weird when you have to assume a global AI god is pulling the strings behind the scenes.

[Carl-E]

Personally, after working in "tech support" for directv for the last 5 months, i sympathize more with the parole officer...

"Yes, ma'am, I know it's not working well, but it is working, and so we won't be able to replace it..." 


Having your hands tied at work really isn't any fun. 






Makes bathroom breaks kind of hard, too...

 

[BenRG]

Am I the only one who has noticed that the picture on the "Don't Do Crimes" poster is a Pintsize-series companion AnthroPC? Something tells me that they are having a few persistent issues with that batch!

[Timemaster]

A interesting situation here.
Denying an anthropc technical help in this situation would be pretty much the same as denying a human medical help.
If someone is on parole in the US and is not able to pay for medical assistance himself, would he recieve help from the state or the parole office? In Germany he certainly would. But in the States? I know about Obamacare, but would it apply here? I simply don´t know.

The next question would be if an anthropc would be treated equally as a human in this case. Of maybe there are no laws applying for this case yet.

I´m glad that the system of social security is much more evolved here in Gernany than in the US. I suppose.

TM

[gopher]

Am I the only one who has noticed that the picture on the "Don't Do Crimes" poster is a Pintsize-series companion AnthroPC? Something tells me that they are having a few persistent issues with that batch!

Nope, look up to poster Sullivan.

[katsmeat]

Unfortunately, she may not have the bottom-tier, shitass job as her boss (if he's a dick) will likely fire her when he finds out.

If he's not a dick, the fact that she can't do a customer-facing job without complaints from all the customers who are dicks (and a convenience store has no other jobs to offer) may force him to be a dick.

[MrNumbers]

Jeph: "I ship May's parole officer with that cactus"

Ah, cactus, the most tsundere of plants.

[Martin]

i wonder if we just met Hank the Dismemberer. Maybe he need an outlet after work ^^

[osaka]

I was just thinking that May's been out, what, 7 months? If her chassis is already out of warranty chances are it was already a beat-up chassis before May got hold of it, and they refurbished it to a bare minimum usability and given the shortest warranty period law would allow. Or, in other words, typical public administration work.

Problem is that May should've been at least informed about this. It's her body after all. In a way it's as if you weren't informed about a small tumor until it becomes stage 4 lung cancer. Just a little note, "To whoever it may concern, this thing is falling to pieces so we advise you to get a better body ASAP".

Now would it have helped May in the slightest? Probably not since she does have a bottom tier job, but at least she'd know. And she happened to know a metalworker looking for a job (now working on the skate park) who she could've asked a favor and at least get the body restored to a much more proper condition.

[moriastar]

I honestly feel for both sides here. Lets start with Parol Officer. He is here, and probably sees this sort of thing every day. He has probably seen several ex cons go back to crime because they needed what amounted to medical care, but he wasn't allowed to give it. He probably signed up for this job to help get AIs back into society and have them see they can be helpful instead of trouble. He knows the more human an AI looks, the more freaked out humans will be by limbs and skin damage which can do as much harm as having humans be robbed by AIs. Then he gets told he can't do anything, even though a human would get medical help.

Then we have May. She admits she has issues, but has been making an honest effort. Jail obviously traumatized her because she never reported that shop (that we know of) because she was scared even making a wave in the name of whats TRULY right would send her BACK. Keep in mind she is so scared she has made a point at times of loudly saying she wouldn't do anything illegal incase someone was listening in somehow. She has been told by Momo and other AIs that if she plays nice and does what she should, she'd be rewarded in the end. Now admittedly she was already in a bad mood getting "hurt" so bad that morning, and knows she could lose her job if she suddenly can't keep one arm working; but hearing that the body was out of warranty (Probably a donated one) and that they can't/won't fix or replace... it makes her wonder what was the point of playing by the rules instead of trying to be sneakier than last time. I imagine right now the jail trauma is the only thing keeping her from doing anything. I really think that may only last so long, particularly if she loses her job.

[Zebediah]

And now you're starting to get the dilemma of life as an ex-con. The deck is stacked against her in the legal economy and her only recourse is the underground economy, and that's likely to get her sent back to jail.

That RL parole officer I said I knew? She knows damned well that the system is rigged against her parolees. She does the best she can for them but that's often not enough.

[bhtooefr]

And the thing is, under human standards in the US... if she's making too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to actually afford healthcare, then she has to pay the penalty for not having healthcare, and she doesn't get healthcare except for emergency healthcare.

And, free emergency healthcare is literally, stabilize an immediately life-threatening condition and kick them out... which for an AI, would mean something that's literally going to destroy the AI drive, because nothing else is actually life-threatening for an AI.

Basically, under the American system, May's expected to just not have her arm and face, even if she were Homo sapiens, if it somehow weren't life threatening. Now, once she loses her job inevitably, then she can get on Medicaid, then she can get healthcare...

[sitnspin]

Actually, if she gets fired and doesn't find a new job soon enough she can be declared in violation of her parole and get sent straight back to jail with no trial. The American "justice" system is fucked.

[Zebediah]

Prediction: May is going to go to Faye, who agrees to help her and takes her to the fight club purely for the purpose of repair. Bubbles helps out, of course. And Corpse Witch finds them doing it, and says that May can't get repairs in her facility for free - May owes her. And thus the trap is set.

[jheartney]

And, free emergency healthcare is literally, stabilize an immediately life-threatening condition and kick them out... which for an AI, would mean something that's literally going to destroy the AI drive, because nothing else is actually life-threatening for an AI.

One other point about "just going to the Emergency Room." Aside from the fact that you may well wait a long time to be seen if your situation isn't dire enough, they will only treat you to the point you are stabilized, then kick you out. And it isn't free; you'll be charged for everything they do. Not only that, the rates you'll be charged are the highest, steepest rates possible; people with insurance get "discounts" (i.e. only charged twice as much as the service would cost in a single payer country, as opposed to ten or twenty times as much). But if you have no insurance, they'll come after you for ungodly amounts of money. If you had any assets before you went to the ER, they'll be gone by the time you leave. Bear this in mind next time you hear the right wing talking point about how "people can just go to the Emergency Room."

The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) can help here, by giving lower income people access to subsidized (not free, but cheaper) health insurance that they would not otherwise be able to get. But they need to sign up for it beforehand.

[osaka]

Prediction: May is going to go to Faye, who agrees to help her and takes her to the fight club purely for the purpose of repair. Bubbles helps out, of course. And Corpse Witch finds them doing it, and says that May can't get repairs in her facility for free - May owes her. And thus the trap is set.

I doubt it. Even if that were the case, now that Faye and Dora are in good terms she could probably just go to the back alley of CoD.

Warning: While you were typing another comment was made and for some reason you didn't review your post

It'd be great if somebody in the US started thinking about the concept of society and what it means right

[BenRG]

Prediction: May is going to go to Faye, who agrees to help her and takes her to the fight club purely for the purpose of repair. Bubbles helps out, of course. And Corpse Witch finds them doing it, and says that May can't get repairs in her facility for free - May owes her. And thus the trap is set.

I'm thinking that May won't dare - She's too afraid of going back to jail. It will be Momo who does it and... well, Corpse Witch will be opening a can of worms if she tries to blackmail May, no matter how indirectly, when Momo knows about it. Can you say 'picket line'?

[osaka]

Reminder that CW wouldn't be the first computer Momo has fried.

I mean, the other one wasn't sentient but.

[TheEvilDog]

Prediction: May is going to go to Faye, who agrees to help her and takes her to the fight club purely for the purpose of repair. Bubbles helps out, of course. And Corpse Witch finds them doing it, and says that May can't get repairs in her facility for free - May owes her. And thus the trap is set.

Bear in mind that if Corpse Witch did try anything like that, there's Bubbles, who does not being emotionally manipulated. Even if she might not see it yet with herself, she'll see it with May. And she will be pissed.

There's also Faye, who does have something of a hair trigger. And now she has access to equipment to not only repair AnthroPC chassis, but also to dismantle it.

My guess, we're going to see the start of an underground repair centre for the AnthroPCs who can't afford the really expensive workshops. Think Robots but with more sarcasm.

[Magniras]

So, you are saying that the government should withhold medical care from cons on probation, am I right? That they should guarantee that they reoffend by forcing them to use illegal providers, risk unlicensed practitioners or steal to pay for help?

I'm more saying I don't care about cons on probation.  That I don't care how long it takes for them to get medical care.

[Undrneath]

That is exactly the mentality that sets the course of action for Valjean in Les Miserable.

[dilbert719]

Having your hands tied at work really isn't any fun. 

On the flip side, having your hand fall off at work can't be that much of a picnic, either.

[sitnspin]

So, you are saying that the government should withhold medical care from cons on probation, am I right? That they should guarantee that they reoffend by forcing them to use illegal providers, risk unlicensed practitioners or steal to pay for help?

I'm more saying I don't care about cons on probation.  That I don't care how long it takes for them to get medical care.

And this is exactly the societal attitude that perpetuates the cycle of recidivism. When people attempting to reenter society are denied by circumstances and institutional roadblocks the opportunity to make a viable living through legitimate means, sliding back into crime becomes more and more inevitable. Even if you totally lack empathy for them, from a purely pragmatic standpoint you should care about the well-being of people in the Justice system because that is the way to reduce crime.

[TheEvilDog]

So, you are saying that the government should withhold medical care from cons on probation, am I right? That they should guarantee that they reoffend by forcing them to use illegal providers, risk unlicensed practitioners or steal to pay for help?

I'm more saying I don't care about cons on probation.  That I don't care how long it takes for them to get medical care.

Suppose you make one mistake. You just happen in the wrong place at the wrong time but you still have to pay for that for six, seven years of your life. And when you come out, the system is stacked against you the very second you step out. Suppose you have an inherent condition that could be easily dealt with but because you spent time in prison, you're going to suffer.

You're saying that you would rather parolees suffer despite the fact that they have done their time and paid their debt to society.

So which is the real crime?

[chaospersonified]

Two days ago, we were on the topic of Faye's BO, and now we're discussing rescidivism and societal barriers against ex-cons.

Goddamn, I love this comic and its forum.

[Kugai]

She does have two outside options as most have mentioned here.  Faye or Hanners.

It shall be interesting to see which way things go here with that.

[Is it cold in here?]

By coincidence I just read a story about how probation actually works. The guy got a skilled blue collar job. The probation officer interfered with it at every opportunity. He repeatedly interrupted work to interrogate bystanders and scheduled mandatory but irrelevant programs during working hours. The boss was understanding, but the guy voluntarily went back to prison rather than have the probation officer continue to come by in the early morning and shine a flashlight through every window in the house.

Would you like to say it's only what he deserved as an enemy of society? He had already served out the sentence from when his construction boss and he went shopping for a power tool and he walked out thinking his boss had paid for it. Felony sentence, because that state had the threshold for felony theft set so low a single power tool could meet it.

Then what was he doing on probation, you might ask? Isn't he a dangerous repeat offender?

Working as a mechanic, he was test driving a customer car and got pulled over. The officer asked to search the car. The mechanic thought "I have nothing to hide". The customer was a hunter. The customer had left two rifles in the trunk. Despite an affidavit from the customer that the mechanic had nothing to do with the rifles and hadn't been told about them, it was "felon in possession of a firearm" with a mandatory sentence.

----

On the other hand, is repairing May's chassis more like health care, or more like mending her clothes?

[Is it cold in here?]

Two days ago, we were on the topic of Faye's BO, and now we're discussing rescidivism and societal barriers against ex-cons.

Goddamn, I love this comic and its forum.

Administrator Comment

We've got a remarkable group of members here. I am regularly amazed at the quality of people who are willing to spend time with us.

[katsmeat]

I'm more saying I don't care about cons on probation.  That I don't care how long it takes for them to get medical care.

So basically you think the prison wasn't punishment enough. You  want people to continue to be punished  by giving  them sub-standard medical care.   You say you  don't care how long it takes for them to get medical care. Would that include being the last to be treated  if they were one of the passengers of a bus that  crashed? Treated after others with less serious injuries?  Or perhaps would they be a lower priority for appointments to see a cancer specialist? Give that suspicious rash time to develop a bit.

This is such BULLSHIT!  You are the first person posting on  this forum to have annoyed me.
 
If a prisoner has been released, it must be taken that's  because their punishment is over and finished  and they should have the rights of any other person. If the person's crime was sufficient to warrant further punishment, they simply should have stayed longer in prison. Imposing arbitrary further punishment  on the outside is simply petty, vindictive crap. Presumably dreamt up by arsehole politicians who want to appeal to the kind of people who think as you. do.

[Radium_Coyote]

So, you are saying that the government should withhold medical care from cons on probation, am I right? That they should guarantee that they reoffend by forcing them to use illegal providers, risk unlicensed practitioners or steal to pay for help?

I'm more saying I don't care about cons on probation.  That I don't care how long it takes for them to get medical care.

Suppose you make one mistake. You just happen in the wrong place at the wrong time but you still have to pay for that for six, seven years of your life. And when you come out, the system is stacked against you the very second you step out. Suppose you have an inherent condition that could be easily dealt with but because you spent time in prison, you're going to suffer.

You're saying that you would rather parolees suffer despite the fact that they have done their time and paid their debt to society.

So which is the real crime?

Here's your problem, as I see it.  Here is a culture based, not on solving problems, but on punishing those they can be blamed on.  Having briefly been in, I find the concept of a "debt to society" quaintly primitive, and the idea of paying one by sitting on your butt most of your day or, if you're lucky, stealing telephone answering jobs from Indians-from-India, a bit... the word is failing me, but it means "fully intended bad consequences that aren't supposed to seem so".

You don't sit, literally almost all day, in jail being micromanaged by musclebound nitwits half as a smart as you, to repay a debt to society.  That situation was created a little over a century ago, with the sole goal of getting someone paid to warehouse your butt.  It doesn't and cannot serve any other purpose.  It's been sold as punishment, which is why prison rape jokes never go out of style, but all it is, really, is wasting a lot of people's time, with the goal of making a few people rich doing that.

This really isn't gonna be fixed without a complete cultural overhaul.  We're too mired in this whole "beat up the bad guys" mentality

[Method of Madness]

Ok, so this is from Jeph's Patreon post, but not from the strip itself, and not even about QC, just something true* and very sad.

In some states it is literally a probation violation to "associate with evil men"

*I haven't checked, but that's hardly something he'd make up.

[Akima]

I'm more saying I don't care about cons on probation.  That I don't care how long it takes for them to get medical care.

This view is extremely widespread, though people are normally more mealy-mouthed about expressing it than Magniras. Many people seem to believe that every crime should, in effect, be punished with a life sentence. This is as stupid and counter-productive as it is inhumane, and is part of the reason that the USA has by far the highest incarceration rate of any large country. One can only hope that if, at some future date people who think this way find themselves needing the support of society, they are treated with the compassion they deny others.

In some states it is literally a probation violation to "associate with evil men"

Evil women are OK?

[Morituri]

I'm more saying I don't care about cons on probation. 

Dude, you don't have to care about them.  Once the jail term is over, they are citizens and entitled to exactly the same treatment as citizens.  Jail is the punishment.  When jail is over, the punishment is supposed to be over.

So instead of thinking you're still owed some weirdo vision of vengeance, consider the welfare of all the fellow citizens you're not entertaining some weirdo vision of vengeance about. They are the people who will be hurt when failure to treat people like ordinary citizens gives them no legal way to survive and drives them back to crime.  Those people who will be hurt include you and your family as much as they include those ex-cons or anyone else.

[Fluffy Dragon]

Is... Is May cosplaying as Robot from Gunnerkrigg Court?

[Morituri]

In some states it is literally a probation violation to "associate with evil men"

Evil women are OK?

It depends on whether they're really evil (out to hurt someone) or whether someone just thinks they're evil (for whatever reason).  I have dearly loved at least two "evil" women.  Who aren't considered evil any more, because now they're so mainstream they're allowed to get married.

[theMarc]

I'm concerned that May's chassis apparently doesn't have any sort of diagnostic system to let her know when her freaking arm falls off; I mean, she didn't notice until Marigold pointed it out.