The detention planet of Aellis IV will be undergoing a review of its operations beginning next week as a result of its recent orbital shift. The review will be conducted jointly by the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Justice, and will cover the standard of living for residents and staff of the rehabilitation facilities, the effectiveness of current rehabilitation programs, and the security of the planet overall. The review will also cover the status of Xanthal’s only prison facility. Accompanying the review staff will be Ministry of Development agents, who will be tasked with establishing a preliminary plan for developing Aellis IV into a Xanthalian homeworld sometime in the far future when more space is needed for the Xanthalian population. The Ministry of Development will also be investigating the possibility of injecting water into the planet’s atmosphere as an experiment to see if its cooler climate will allow for a more habitable ecosystem. Results of the Ministry of Development’s studies are expected in about two months, and results of the detention colony reviews will be available in about a year.
The results have been gathered and decisions made. These will be posted here for public review.
Aellis IV review:
Planetary review:
-Stability: After an extensive review of the its new orbit and a study of internal activity, the planet of Aellis IV was found to be suitably stable for continued inhabitation by sentient lifeforms. As such, the Xanthalian government has decided that no shift of the detention colonies is needed.
-Water-injection findings: Research indicates that the injection of water into the planet's atmosphere would cause the extinction of six species native to Aellis IV, but would also facilitate future development. A plan to restore a balanced ecosystem would be possible. The Xanthalian government has decided to initiate the water-injection procedures in five years using orbital terraforming satellites.
Colony review:
-Conditions: The conditions of the colonies were found to be satisfactory. Adequate food and water is provided to all inmates, along with individual rooms containing necessary facilities and conveniences. Compared to detention facilities of other nations, the Xanthalian facilities ranked in the top tenth percentile for best conditions. The Xanthalian government has decided to take no further steps to improve these conditions.
-Staff: It has been assessed that an increase of staff by 10% would optimize the operation of the Xanthalian detention centers on Aellis IV. The Xanthalian government was unable to find sufficient numbers, but a 5% staff increase per facility has been ordered.Training of all staff was found to be satisfactory.
-Procedures: Current rehabilitation procedures are about 96% effective, but 31% of all patients must have mind-altering procedures conducted to rehabilitate them, placing in question the merits of such procedures. As a result, the Xanthalian government has formed a team to assess the moral and constitutional implications of continued use of this procedure.
Future development:
-Colony expansion: At the current rate of population growth, assuming that the number of citizens needing to be detained in rehabilitation and prison facilities remains constant, the planet of Aellis IV will be able to accomodate Xanthal's penal system for approximately 1,784 years to come. After that time, the feasibility of maintaining the planet as the sole location of Xanthalian detainees must be reassessed. The Xanthalian government has taken no action on these findings.
-Homeworld development: Investigation showed that with the application of the aforementioned water-injection procedure the planet of Aellis IV could be successfully developed as a Homeworld. The Xanthalian government has taken no action on these findings.