Could we condemn criminals to suffer for hundreds of years? Biotechnology could let us extend convicts' lives 'indefinitely'

This is the scenario being explored by researchers at Oxford University



They claim life extension tech could mean prisoners serve longer sentences



Philosopher Dr Rebecca Roache also writes in her blog that a time distortion pill could make people feel like they were in prison longer

Another scenario the group looked at was uploading mind to a digital realm

Running it a million times faster than normal would enable the uploaded criminal to serve a 1,000 year sentence in eight-and-a-half hours

Sentencing a criminal to 1,000 years in an artificial hell may one day become a reality.

At least, that is the claim of scientists at Oxford University who have been exploring controversial technologies that could extend human life.

They say billions are being invested in techniques that could mean the cruellest criminals will be kept alive indefinitely in condition befitting their crime.

Last year, a team of scientists led by Rebecca Roache began exploring technologies that could keep prisoners in an artificial hell

According to their research, prison firms could also develop drugs that make time pass slowly, making an inmate’s sentence feel like an eternity.



Last year, a team of scientists led by Rebecca Roache began exploring technologies that could keep prisoners in an artificial hell.

‘Some crimes are so bad they require a really long period of punishment, and a lot of people seem to get out of that punishment by dying,’ Dr Roache told Ross Andersen in Aeon magazine.

Dr Roache highlights what she describes as the ‘laughably inadequate’ sentence of 30 years in prison for Magdelena Luczak and Mariusz Krezolek.

Daniel died in March 2012 from a head injury, locked in a cold room on a soiled mattress. Dr Roache highlights the 'laughably inadequate' sentence of 30 years in prison for Magdelena Luczak and Mariusz Krezolek Daniel's mother Magdalena Luczak (right) and stepfather Mariusz Krezolek (left) were found guilty of murder

CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT

Life extension technologies could mean the cruellest criminals will be kept alive indefinitely in condition befitting their crime. As well as extending life, there are a number of psychoactive drugs that distort people’s sense of time.

Dr Roache said that might not be far off developing a pill that could make someone feel like they were serving a 1,000-year sentence.

Another scenario explored by the group is uploading the criminal's mind to a digital realm to speed up the 1,000 year sentence. This means that with sufficient computer power, it would be possible to speed up the rate at which an uploaded mind runs.

Similarly, uploading the mind of a convicted criminal and running it a million times faster than normal would enable the uploaded criminal to serve a 1,000 year sentence in eight-and-a-half hours.

The pair were convicted of murdering Luczak's four year-old son, Daniel, who was beaten, starved and tortured before his death.

On her Practical Ethics blog, Dr Roache notes that Luczak and Krezolek will receive the humane treatment that Daniel never did.

‘They will, for example, be fed and watered, housed in clean cells, allowed access to a toilet and washing facilities, allowed out of their cells for exercise and recreation,’ she writes.

Turning to human engineering as a possible solutions, Dr Roache looks at the idea of life span enhancements so that a life sentence in prison could last hundreds of years.

‘Dr Aubrey de Grey, co-founder of the anti-ageing Sens research foundation, believes that the first person to live to 1,000 years has already been born,’ she said.

‘The benefits of such radical lifespan enhancement are obvious - but it could also be harnessed to increase the severity of punishments’

As well as extending life, Dr Roache noted that there are a number of psychoactive drugs that distort people’s sense of time.

She said that society might not be far off developing a pill that could make someone feel like they were serving a 1,000-year sentence.

Turning to human engineering as a possible solutions, Dr Roache looks at the idea of life span enhancements so that a life sentence in prison can last hundreds of years. The technology could be used on the most serious crimes, such as those committed by Adolf Hitler

‘Of course, there is a widely held view that any amount of tinkering with a person’s brain is unacceptably invasive,’ she said. ‘But you might not need to interfere with the brain directly.’

Time distortion, for instance, is already a technique used in interrogation, where people are exposed to constant light, or unusual light changes, so that they can’t tell what time of day it is.

Another scenario being explored by the group is uploading the criminal's mind to a digital realm to speed up the 1,000 year sentence.

‘As the technology required to scan and map human brain processes improves, some believe it will one day be possible to upload human minds on to computers,’ Dr Roache said.

This means that with sufficient computer power, it would be possible to speed up the rate at which an uploaded mind runs.

Prison firms could also soon develop drugs that make time pass slowly, making an inmate¿s sentence feel like an eternity

Similarly, uploading the mind of a convicted criminal and running it a million times faster than normal would enable the uploaded criminal to serve a 1,000 year sentence in eight-and-a-half hours.

‘This would, obviously, be much cheaper for the taxpayer than extending criminals’ lifespans to enable them to serve 1,000 years in real time,’ said Dr Roache.

If these technologies are developed, one crime that could ever justify eternal imprisonment was something that would endanger mankind.

‘Suppose there was some physics experiment that stood a decent chance of generating a black hole that could destroy the planet and all future generations,’ said Dr Roache.