How about...
The Phantom Zone Projector
This puts those it is pointed at into an immaterial form, which cannot interact with reality and can only see and comunicate with other phantoms. Only the projector can return them.
In actuality the bodies of the prisoners are in a suspended animation state, and their mind stimulated into a dream-like awareness, hooked into a virtual reality which simulates the real world well enough for dreaming minds to find it credible. Various mind fuzzing and holographic tricks are used to make it look like a projector is in use.
This device gets people off the street, and with a suitably designed, secret, automated facility, is probably cheaper than keeping them locked-up. They may also age at a reduced rate. They may even heal existing medical problems. If you find there's been wrongful imprissonment, they can be 'returned' (difficult if they're executed).
Downside is that there is no education or attempts at reform, little mental stimulation, and not even as much control over life as conventional imprisonment would allow. Suicide is likely near impossible. There can be no visiting of prisoners. If the secret gets out there may be a media uproar (but, the Phantom Zone was presumably accepted in the first place...).
--
"It is the business of the future to be dangerous" - Hawkwind
The Phantom Zone Projector
This puts those it is pointed at into an immaterial form, which cannot interact with reality and can only see and comunicate with other phantoms. Only the projector can return them.
In actuality the bodies of the prisoners are in a suspended animation state, and their mind stimulated into a dream-like awareness, hooked into a virtual reality which simulates the real world well enough for dreaming minds to find it credible. Various mind fuzzing and holographic tricks are used to make it look like a projector is in use.
This device gets people off the street, and with a suitably designed, secret, automated facility, is probably cheaper than keeping them locked-up. They may also age at a reduced rate. They may even heal existing medical problems. If you find there's been wrongful imprissonment, they can be 'returned' (difficult if they're executed).
Downside is that there is no education or attempts at reform, little mental stimulation, and not even as much control over life as conventional imprisonment would allow. Suicide is likely near impossible. There can be no visiting of prisoners. If the secret gets out there may be a media uproar (but, the Phantom Zone was presumably accepted in the first place...).
--
"It is the business of the future to be dangerous" - Hawkwind