While most of the rest of Animalia was getting ready for things like the IAC, and on Heiya Island, the expected wedding between Nate Bowman and Shuixing, Mercy found herself continuing to go over the various pieces of paperwork and reviews that related to the "Criminal Recycling Program" that Animalia had put in place as part of a means to find ways to rehabilitate criminals that didn't require massive jail sentences. To a great extent, Mercy wasn't that fond of it, mostly because of how she'd gotten roped into it after her attempts to burgle a supposed item that had belonged to the Romanovs before their deaths had gone wrong. She'd broken her leg, was captured by the Animalia Police Department and then to add insult to injury, while the jewels were real jewels, they were made as replicas of things that the Romanovs would have owned. Thus all that for "nothing."
Though, because Mercy's actions had been rather small scale in what she'd done, even the FBI was ultimately willing to let her go through Animalia's brand of punishment with plenty of safeguards to make sure that Mercy didn't just fly away. A lot of it ended up with lessons in humiliation as Mercy found that the voluptuous body she gained as an Animalian did NOT help her demonstrating things that she'd done in the past to either A) avoid security or B) avoid cameras, in this her reputation as a burglar was effectively destroyed, particularly when people decided to post videos taken by cellphones of her being rescued by the Lyre/Animalia Fire Department after getting "stuck" in something. It was embarrassing and only served to tie her to the Animalia PD and the FBI as part of a means to pay off her past transgressions and try to recover things that she'd stolen over the years. She'd done okay with that, and was glad to have avoided the cumulative jail sentences that her past thefts would have left her with, but that still didn't mean she wanted to be in charge of managing this program.
"I still do not understand why you feel it so necessary to have engaged in all this... looking over various records and requests," Mercy grumbled.
"It's part of the deal we have with the Justice Department right now," one of the Animalia PD officers answered, "they're presently trying to work with states to deal with rising crime rates... likely for reasons not related to conservative's talking points... and many of these states and areas may end up needing the space. And Animalia's way of criminal rehabilitation has seemed to work fairly well, so far."
"Mostly with non-violent and non-career criminals," Mercy countered, "and a system that is designed to simply embarrass people may well make people that are career criminals more interested in revenge."
"Need I remind you, that the first one that went through this came into Lyre, threatened to eat a pair of students, fled when the sound of police sirens got close after wounding one of them, and was then captured just outside WSA after they had long left the school," the Dog Animalian countered, "another was purposely spreading HIV through sex over "religious beliefs," and the most recent one has had a long history of domestic abuse, starting with his wife and then with random girlfriends, with the last being put in the hospital."
"But none were career criminals," Mercy answered, "Heather Wilcox had admitted that much of her actions had started from a desire to earn money for an aging grandmother and really only responded in such a way because she was frustrated over a scheme that was relatively minor was discovered by Animalia's ambassador's earlier in the summer. Once she converted into the first Dinotopian... she'd then found herself overwhelmed by predatory instincts and essentially ran on something that was beyond control or thought. She wasn't a career criminal by nature. Her husband, Jeremy Green, actually committed bigger crimes in sending the Animalia Virus to her. The girl spreading HIV was just as much a victim as those she gave the disease to. In this she was more confused than anything else, not a career criminal. And the last guy's greatest fault is his temper... I'd say there could ultimately be risks there with him in the long run, but he still isn't a career criminal."
"Which is why we're looking at these records now and see as to which ones would be the sort that would respond to Animalia's method in a positive way," the Dog Animalian answered, "and given your past... we're counting on your own insight into this as to see who would respond well and who would not. And how the conversions would then be handled would play into that. Many may end up being selected to become animals known for being more docile and thus receptive to certain elements more instinctively."
Mercy silently grumbled to herself as she resumed looking over the papers that she was looking through. Most of them had come from various expected sorts of violations that fit the general description that she'd felt would work the best with regard to Animalia's program. Most were relatively mild cases that often related to theft or drug charges. There were others that had the potential to stand out a bit more, but from the papers she'd read through, the cases had been more on emotion than any deliberate planning and in a few there were clear statements of regret in the court documents. That was something that was ultimately workable.
She ended up having a system in which she would look through the case files and reports and then consider the potential for how some responding would react. As Animalia's methods worked, oddly, but all of them had fairly select circumstances to them and did not indicate a career criminal or the sort that would psychologically have no remorse. Thus being embarrassed in various ways and on a routine basis wasn't going to be that much of an issue. Those that fully fit within points that would allow for it to work and only had some minor violation that didn't have much of a sentence would then be placed in one stack that would allow for it to be done without condition. Those that fit a lot of the points but may have had a more serious charge would be placed in a stack that would allow for it to continue, but could include either a change in location in where they would be allowed to live after their conversion or potentially a restriction on what kind of Animalian they would become.
If certain elements of the case indicated either issues that would be more indicative of issues where Animalia's style of rehabilitation wouldn't work would go into a different pile. If it was with one or two points, they would go into one stack where the program may be followed, but with restrictions on what animals that person would be allowed to convert to and closer observation after conversion between sessions and potentially even remaining in jail until the program was completed. Those that touched on more two, but didn't meet all the conditions that would be indicative of either a career criminal or having some truly psychotic or psychopathic tendencies would be placed in another pile. These might be allowed to convert if they wished, largely to see if some of the behaviors Animalians were known for was a result of the conversion/uplifting and thus the Animalia Virus, while largely remaining in custody under the more standard methods of rehabilitation. The last group were from those that had shown signs of either being career criminals or having some psychotic or psychopathic elements to their crimes, which Mercy then put in its own pile which she identified as those rejected for the program and even conversion.
The piles weren't necessarily too big, as much of the present program was dependent on cooperation with other law enforcement agencies and even prisons, many of which were rather hesitant to begin with, and thus shared some of Mercy's personal concerns. Some had more "economic concerns" in that they'd made a profit holding criminals in prison and didn't want a program that would cut into their profit margin to succeed. Mercy could see the reasoning and decided not to involve herself in that argument, particularly as while she was being assigned to help manage the program, she wouldn't be the only one working with it. Psychologists and other officials would go over her assessments and would then have the final say as to whether or not Mercy's suggestions would stand or would not, and this would take time as many of these cases had to have "local" officials look over the decisions Mercy made. It was a bureaucratic nightmare that Mercy felt also defeated the program's intentions, but she wasn't going to get into that fight either.
"The only thing I can feel good about with all this is that you're not making me come up with the exact punishments with this program with those that end up getting the whole treatment," Mercy grumbled after putting one set into the "reject" pile.
"A lot of that will ultimately be handled more once things are more advanced with the program and the other agencies that are wanting to test Animalia's methods are certain that all things are in order," the Dog Animalian answered, "So... for the moment, the only one that will be actively going through this will be our "Black Sheep" and he'll be more under the eyes of the officers we know he can't intimidate."
"Bats can be scary," Mercy huffed.
"In folklore and imagery, maybe," the Dog Animalian chuckled, "but not in reality. Most bats are going to be fairly small, an evolutionary sacrifice made to fly. About the only real threats that bats pose to larger animals... like sheep or people, would be if the bat is sick with something... like Rabies and then transmits the disease through the bite. But large predators, like wolves, have often hunted domestic sheep when wild prey is scarce. Which is what has lead to some instinctive nervousness around larger predatory Animalians. Some of that is something that just about all the herbivore Animalians have at times. It's where things like the Animalia Virus does change a lot, but can't totally erase years of evolution."
"So... I'll ultimately have to think of something embarrassing to do to people?" Mercy commented, "and something that I can do...?"
"Well... that'll ultimately be part of it," the Dog Animalian answered, "right now, you may end up with some supervision from above within our department, give your history, but then... you've also seemed to accept things fairly well."
"Only because I've had no choice," Mercy narrowed her eyes.
"Uh-huh, and what about that college kid you found old west gold or silver for?" the Dog Animalian smirked back, "he came up once at the end of May, and once in June to see how you were and if you'd want to do something. Wouldn't you want to be free to to do something with him?"
"That's none of your business!" Mercy snapped back. A part of her was a bit flattered by the attention, particularly as most of the Bat Animalians either already had partners and all of them were of a different species of bat, but since much of her focus was looking for a way to "pay her debt to society" without being any more embarrassed, she hadn't actually focused on real romantic attention.
"Maybe so..." the Dog Animalian shrugged, "but that doesn't change that you're still a part of the program. And as an officer with the Animalia PD and in cooperation with the other agencies wanting to see how well our method works, you will be expected to work with it. And ultimately, it may actually help you help others. Something worth far more than just looking out for yourself."