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Hey everyone, it’s Matt again. Last time, I spoke a little about the safety of Neg-Vacs. I also mentioned that they were tested in a prison setting, and I wanted to talk about that specific test today.
Legally, I can’t reveal the name of the prison, or the test subjects, but I can summarise the process and the results. You see, this particular prison holds a number of dangerous people, convicted of multiple counts of violent crimes. What made them perfect for this test was that, when interviewed by the police, they all reported similar things. In this instance that was that their crimes were preceded by extreme bouts of emotion arising from specific events.
The point here is not to compare regular people to convicted criminals, of course. These test subjects were chosen precisely because they were extreme examples. That meant it would be easy to spot differences in their behaviours. The three that were chosen had a history of continued violence while still in prison. Often all it took to spark an incident was for another felon to verbally provoke them, or even to simply have something they didn’t. So, after reading their reports, the medical team built Neg-Vacs that would suppress the most common negative emotions displayed by the subjects prior to violent incidents. These were then administered, and the subjects monitored, to see if the drugs had the effect that was expected.
If you’re wondering, the subjects did take the doses on a voluntary basis. The deal was that, if they volunteered, it would go in their favour when being reviewed for early release. I think they all likely figured out that the test being successful served them better than it being a failure, but it was impossible for them to fake this. Not only were their brain patterns monitored closely, but their records indicated that they legitimately had little control over their emotions.
The early results were mixed. One of the three subjects began to show more control, but two saw an increase in anger levels. It took four different versions of the Neg-Vac for the team to find the right balance. This process is much smoother now, of course, but in these early live tests, the team was still learning. When they nailed it though, the results were astonishing. All three subjects exhibited far greater control over their behaviours, and within two months of receiving the correct dose, their incidents of violent outbursts were reduced to nil.
The Neg-Vacs weren’t the whole story, of course. The three subjects also used the then-current version of the Alleviation Sim to release their natural emotions. We’ll talk about the sim a little more another time. The key thing to remember here though is that this prison test was the first of many examples of the Neg-Vacs working. It may have taken the team a little while to get the doses right for each subject, but that in itself was all part of the process. I won’t lie and say that there are no risks of side effects at all. As I said earlier, all medication has risks. Just like other prescribed substances though, the Neg-Vacs have been tested rigorously, and are approved as safe. Not only are you observed immediately after taking your first dose, but you will have access to 24/7 support should any side effects start to appear. On top of that, as the prison tests proved, the potential benefits far outweigh the minor risks that are present.
Matt Doyle Media 