The Carcer colonies were formed as a means to dispose of unwanted elements in society without resorting to the brutalism of capital punishment. For the most part, those consigned to the colonies are left to their own devices. The wardens set in place by Carcer keep tight control over the security forces assigned to the colonies, and are typically more protectors of the land and colonists than prison guards.
Carcer doctrine prevents the inhabitants of these colonies to be referred to as anything but colonists. It was discovered early on that keeping the colonists happy and treating them fairly benefited the corporation as much as it did the people they were watching over. Wardens and guards alike who break this rule have been known to disappear quietly.
All Carcer Colonies are strategically placed to deter and prevent escape. Carcer Colony 724 is bordered on one side by the wide radiation zones and hazards of the Deep Wastelands. The surrounding coasts and mountains are unforgiving with no safe passage or sanctuary.
Colonists in good standing are permitted to live useful and mostly unrestricted lives within the colony community. These inhabitants may be completing (or already finished with) the debts imposed by their home countries. They have no record of damaging property or harming inhabitants within any colony, and no known history of violence beyond causing minor damage or injuries prior to becoming colonists.
Carcer Corporation is very selective about who it recruits as colony guards. Training is extensive and graduates must demonstrate the utmost respect for property as well as respect for the safety and security of others. Guards are not hired to keep people in or out of the colonies. They are hired to maintain colony life by protecting against all threats that may arise inside or outside of the colony itself.
Within the colony, it is possible, even easy, to forget there are both colonists and guards. Holidays are celebrated, social and leisure activities occur in mixed company. One of the most important down time activities are the nights when the colonists come together to share stories and songs either at the communal fire or in the local bar. The belief that a quiet community is a dead community dates back to the Collapse.
Providing for the colony creates a strong sense of community and many of the colonists decide to stay on long after their term has expired, having found bonds of friendship and family they weren’t able to make or keep in the outside world. It is not uncommon to find people who were born in the colonies and have no plans of leaving. Some of the guards have likewise avoided reassignment; the job of protecting the colony and all its people provides honest work – and the place is homey enough if you don’t dwell on the radiation outside.
Life in the Carcer Colonies is hard, but fair so long as the laws are observed. You’ll find the colonists support this compliance as much as the guards. All the laws of the colonies uphold two fundamental rules.
The first is that all guards and colonists must be useful to the colony. Guards don’t have a choice really; the job is entirely about protecting the colony against all threats. Colonists have considerable freedom to choose how to make themselves useful.
Useful colonists come in two fashions: useful to property and useful to people. Those useful to property may venture into the Wastes to collect resources, build or craft what is needed for survival, maintain or even improve what already exists. Those useful to people channel their skills in different ways. Some sell and trade items and materials for the benefit of the colony. Medical professionals and faith healers are always held in high regard. Teachers are considered a valuable commodity regardless of what it is they teach. The wardens value those who are able to work with neighboring communities to keep the peace. Many colonists find new skills as they work to be indispensable to the colony.
The second rule is that everyone – colonist, visitor, or guard– must respect and protect all Carcer Corporation inhabitants and property as required by law. Destruction of Carcer property is forbidden and punishable by fines, extended stays, or death as determined by the value of the property destroyed. Harming colonists, guards, or authorized visitors is as serious an offense as harming property, and will be punished as if property was damaged or destroyed. At present there is no law prohibiting harm to unauthorized visitors (also known as tourists); however, the current warden of Carcer Colony 724 chooses to punish intentional harm to tourists as if minor property were damaged or destroyed.
Colonists found to have broken the laws and rules of the colony, therefore forfeiting the privilege of being in good standing, are relocated to separate facilities where they cannot interfere with the rest of the community. These separate facilities, however, are primarily maintained for those serving terms due to crimes of murder, assault, harm to minors, or other grievous wrongdoing. Those whose crimes resulted in severe destruction of property, and anyone deemed a threat to the security of property, or wellbeing of others, are likewise housed in these facilities.