Why does the Earth have a penal colony in Star Trek?

Question

In certain episodes of Voyager and DS9, we learn about the existence of the New Zealand Penal Settlement on Earth. But at multiple times during DS9, Sisko and others wax on about how Earth is a paradise: no crime, no hunger, no war, no needs unmet, etc. Indeed, several episodes of DS9 are dedicated to exploring how lax the security on Earth is, with a complete absence of personnel that can deal with violence, because they are so used to being in such a paradise.

So why, then, is there a penal colony on a crime-free paradise world?

Answer 1

No crime in this sense would mean petty crimes and violent crimes, but not necessarily something like High Crimes, treason, or small misdemeanors and violations of the law that are not directed against another individual. Crimes against the state, in other words, are not typically what a person thinks of when describing Earth as crime-free.

Let's look at some of the types of prisoners held in New Zealand:

• ...a possible location for Maquis prisoners to be placed...

• Tom Paris was sentenced to eighteen months in the New Zealand Settlement after he was convicted of treason.

• Richard Bashir pleaded guilty to the illegal genetic engineering of his son Julian Bashir in 2373, he was sentenced to spend two years in...minimum security

• Starfleet Rehab, which administered the settlement, was primarily responsible for the rehabilitation of former Starfleet officers and enlisted personnel.

^{Memory Alpha}

Except for the Maquis rebels, who would have been captured elsewhere and sent to Earth, dealing with criminals like these still allows for "a complete absence of personnel that can deal with violence", as any offenses that are still rarely committed on Earth are just not of that nature.

Answer 2

I don't think anyone ever claims that Starfleet was crime-free (even TOS had a brig, court-martials, etc). The general claim is that wants have been eliminated

So, in theory, people don't steal things. That's one class of crimes down. You can still do things like commit treason, murder people, and break other laws.

The New Zealand penal colony is a low security prison (presumably the high security criminals are kept off-world, in a universe with broad transporter technology). You keep the people you think you can rehabilitate in an environment that facilitates that. But, as we see in the TOS Episode Dagger of the Mind, there's more than one Federation penal colony.

Answer 3

The simple answer is that the New Zealand Penal Settlement houses criminals who committed crimes off-world as well. Tom Paris, for example, was imprisoned there for joining the Maquis, a terrorist/paramilitary organization that operates lightyears away. Bashir's father was committed there for leaving the Federation to have his son genetically modified.

RICHARD: I'm going to prison.

BASHIR: What?

RICHARD: Two years. It's a minimum security penal colony in New Zealand.

And while you're correct to note that Earth is no longer as violent, not all crimes are violent (see: Mr. Bashir), and humans will continue to commit crimes in the violent, seedy parts of the galaxy as well. The Federation has to put them somewhere, so why not Earth?

But I would also say you probably overestimate the extent to which violence on Earth is completely gone (Remember Picard and his brother fighting? That's a violent crime!). It'd be more accurate to say that violence between states, religions, races, and other petty differences have been eliminated. Compared to today, it WOULD be paradise, even if a few violent crimes still happen.

Answer 4

It seems that life in the Federation is less perfect than we are led to believe. The Federation actually maintains several penal colonies,

Elba II, for example, housed the criminally insane. This included, notably, Garth of Izar who was jailed for attempted genocide during the 23rd century.

Those who were deemed curable in the 23rd century were sent to Tantalus V.

Seemingly, insanity was not the crime de jure of the 24th century. For example:

Ro Laren was imprisoned on Jaros II for disobeying a direct order and The New Zealand settlement you mentioned was home to Richard Bashir and Tom Paris.

Bashir had been involved in the illegal genetic enhancement of his son while Paris was convicted of treason after joining the Maquis.

So to answer your question, in the 23rd century, penal colonies were seemingly reserved for the insane (curable or not). By the 24th century, "crime" seemed to be considered anything that destabilized or threatened to destgabilize the government of the Federation. Paris had been responsible for the deaths of three other officers in a piloting accident and was only discharged from Starfleet. When he joined the Maquis, he went to jail. Bashir was jailed because his actions could have created another Khan Noonien Singh who would have made war on (and against) Earth.

Crime existed well into the 24th century. The Maquis were traitors and/or terrorists depending on who was answering the question. The New Essentialists tried to sabotage Risa. The Orion Syndicate originally only consisted of Orions but seemed to have members from many species by the 24th century (O'Brien infiltrated despite being human).

Why is there a penal colony on Earth?

Richard Bashir described it as a minimum security facility when he was sentenced there. That implies that this was for nonviolent criminals or those who presented a relatively low threat. Paris had been convicted of treason on his first mission with the Maquis. It's possible he was sent to minimum security because (A) he was not seen as dangerous and/or (B) his father (Admiral Paris) pulled some strings to keep him out of a nastier place.

Answer 5

This was addressed by Trek writer/producer Ronald D. Moore. In brief, the Earth is a garden paradise except for New Zealand, which is apparently overrun by rapscallions and ne'er-do-wells.

Q. Hey, Ron...if there is no crime on Earth, why are there established penal colonies in New Zealand? Hmmmmm??

RD.M: Actually, the only criminals left on Earth are in New Zealand so it only made sense to put the prison there.

_{^{AOL Chat}}

It's possible he was joking here.

Answer 6

There definitely was crime elsewhere if not on Earth; DS9 was a prime example of this. There were smugglers and arms dealers, people who brought illegal goods like Romulan ale into the Federation, etc. They also had murder. Earth was like a gated community or the suburbs while other parts of the galaxy were more like the bad parts of town.