User:CatsAreSuperCool22/Poena



Poena (‘punishment’ in Latin) is an island country in North America. It is the largest prison in the world, inhabited by a population of 2,603,547 (3023) criminals from prisons in 50 different countries. It is the largest island in the world, located between the Arctic Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. Two main social classes subsist in Poena: the Captivi (pronounced [käpˈt̪iːvi]; singular form: Captivus, pronounced [käpˈt̪iːvus]; the prisoners) and the Administratio (pronounced [äd̪mɪnɪs̠ˈt̪räːt̪ioː]; the government workers).

Etymology
The founding countries known as S.R.O.P.A. named the island previously known as Greenland as Poena. Deliberating what to call the renewed land, the founders didn’t want the name to be in a language that biased one country over another. Poena was then chosen as it derives from the word ‘punishment’ in Latin, a dead language in the modern linguistic definition belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Some have argued that Latin still biases those with languages rooted in Latin, such as the greater part of Europe and Asia as far as northern India, which cannot be said for the language families that were not descended from Latin, such as the Slavic, Turkic, Indo-Iranian, and Semitic groups.

Geography and resources
Formally known as Greenland, Poena is the world's largest non-continental island and the third largest area in North America after Canada and the United States. It is between latitudes 59° and 83°N, and longitudes 11° and 74°W. Poena is currently situated between the Arctic Ocean to the north and the North Atlantic Ocean to the southeast. When there were deliberations as to where the prison should be placed, Greenland was agreed upon due to its large land mass and small population, otherwise known as being the least densely populated region in the world. It was also chosen because of its natural resources, such as zinc, lead, gold, iron ore, copper, and oil, which would be easy to exploit with Poena’s large labour force. Greenland was part of the Kingdom of Denmark, one of the original members of S.R.O.P.A., which aided the negotiations for the land. Denmark was financially troubled which is one of the reasons it gave up its island. The previous occupants of Greenland relocated typically in Iceland or Denmark, while some went to Canada and other Scandinavian countries such as Norway and Sweden.

Climate
Over the decades, this previously ice-filled land has gone through multiple warm periods. What once was covered by a glacier has now melted down due to global warming to the land we know today as Poena.

Background
In the first half of the 21st century, individual, corporate, and government accountability was on the rise. In the latter half of the century, the pressure to act on society’s changing views was emerging more and more. Governments and businesses all over the world reformed to follow the changing views of the current times, one of these improvements was directed towards the prison system. The public perception of prisons had become viewed as too inhuman, and that a better way to reform criminals should be put in place. In 2062, the Societal Rehabilitation of Prisoners Alliance (S.R.O.P.A.) was created by the original 32 countries in order to reform the prison systems. S.R.O.P.A. was headed by Thomas Tom, the one to originally propose the idea of a prison country to the European Union (EU). Over the next 11 years after the country was founded, 18 more countries joined the alliance. By 2095, 50 countries were a part of S.R.O.P.A.

Not all countries around the globe were motivated to join the alliance solely due to the need for a change for the better within the prison system; many were particularly affected by the lack of space caused by overpopulation in prisons. S.R.O.P.A. was seen as a way to move their prison populations to make more space for the rest of the population.

In 2069, S.R.O.P.A.’s official plan to create a prison country and help rehabilitate criminals into normal society was under way. The former island country known as Greenland had been transformed into the land we know today, the Great Nation of Poena, land of the prisoners. Poena is a stimulation of a normal country as much as possible while still having the close monitoring of prisons. Construction went in progress to build the cities, such as houses, hospitals, schools, farms, stores, roads, etc. Some portion of the infrastructure that was on the island previously to the changes had been kept, but it largely had to be redone to be able to handle the influx of people. Poena was officially created in 2084 when its first occupants arrived.

The Country’s Beginnings
The country was first founded with 10,000 prisoners and 2,500 government workers. The population of the island separated into two social-economic classes: the Administratio consisting of government workers (i.e., the president, guards, doctors, teachers), and the rest of the populous is entirely made up of prisoners from the S.R.O.P.A. countries. The first year went better than predicted with less fights/revolts than expected. The following year, in 2085, 20,000 prisoners were added, and 50,000 more prisoners were shipped to the new country in 2086. By 2097, the Captivi’ population had reached 2,602,348 people, which consisted of the majority of all prisoners of the countries in S.R.O.P.A.

Poena had been designed as a self-governed and financially independent socialist country. Using its natural resources and large labour force, Poena has not needed to rely on S.R.O.P.A. for financing since 2091. After S.R.O.P.A. put the prison system plan into action, the group itself played a minor role in managing the country of Poena. The principal times the alliance must get involved is when voting time comes around where S.R.O.P.A. is in charge of choosing candidates to run for President of Poena, whom its citizens will vote from.

At its inception, the country’s core values were to create the best setting for criminals to rehabilitate into normal society after being in inhuman prisons for so long. This means that the citizens are not given full freedom as they still need to be pushed to be better versions of themselves and not make the mistakes of the past that put them in prison in the first place. Examples of restrictions may include the censorship of the media that citizens make and consume, the inability to go past the limits of the island, and the prohibition of certain substances, items, and goods (alcohol, drugs, weapons, chemicals, etc.).

The Capitalist Influence
Since the existence of Poena, the capitalist countries, primarily the United States of America, viewed the island country as a potential new market for goods. Then American President, Jessica Jess, used her influence to convince the government of Poena to change their approach to the economy. In 2093, owners of large businesses used their connections in S.R.O.P.A. to change Poena’s policies from producing all their own goods to purchasing a portion of them from other countries. In 3002, their policies were changed once more to give prisoners a small salary and allow them to purchase goods from stores that were being created. Originally, Poena gave a certain amount of nonessential goods that prisoners could choose from. This was eventually altered to giving the citizens money instead as it aligned with the capitalists’ agendas.

Loosening the Rules
Through 2097 to 3005, Poena had been running smoothly without any incidents or issues. Within the same period that the economic laws were changed, some of the strictness of their social laws were removed as well. Furthermore, certain monitoring and curfew rules were lifted among other things.

Period of Financial Instability
Over the years, the country of Poena relied heavily on the United States for the majority of the production of its goods, such as electronic devices, books, etc. In October of 3004, one of America’s major corporations, Amazonia, was found to be committing fraud which caused the stocks to tank, leading the U.S. through a period of economic crisis. The prices of Poena’s imports inflated and the citizens of Poena could not afford their nonessential goods and luxuries anymore. Most of the Captivi were no longer able to afford their hobbies due to the increases in prices.

The Ruinous Revolt
For many years throughout Poena’s history, no noteworthy revolts had been recorded as they were either too small and irrelevant to cause any real issue or any large-scale uprising was shut down pre-emptively, until 3005.

In 3005, when prices began to rise, Poena’s citizens became enraged. The Captivi were used to the stability and not having to worry about finances. This was one of the rallying points that John Hammington, the leader of the revolt, used to get people interested in the rebellion.

The leaders of this uprising used the lack of monitoring to their advantage by hosting large gatherings to circulate their plans around to Captivi. These meetings were covered up through the means of activities, in particular bingo, among others such as knitting, yoga, and painting classes. Bingo was the largest and most frequent method of gathering, becoming synonymous with the revolt; saying that you were ‘going to bingo’ became widely translated among the Captivi as being ‘a part of the plan’.

The revolt officially began on the night of March 12, 3005, when the rebellious Captivi organized a siege against the Parliament. More than 4,000 rioters entered the Parliament Building, many of whom occupied, vandalized, and looted; assaulted Poena’s Administratio guards; and attempted to commit arson in hopes of burning down the building. Some had begun to vandalize and loot the surrounding offices and facilities in Parliament Town. With building security breached, Poena guards evacuated and locked down several remaining buildings in Parliament Town. The guards were initially encouraged to refrain from using violence and ordered to try to keep the situation as peaceful as possible. Over 400 rioters and 276 members of the Administratio and guards were injured at the Poena Parliament Building attack, including 17 rioter deaths.

Over the next couple of weeks, buildings of workplaces belonging to the Administratio were targeted. On March 23, 3005, John Hammington was shot to death by Poena officer Donovan Dunkeld. Without their leader, rioters became disorganized and resorted to more violence against the Administratio. Some had managed to improvise weapons and tools such as shivs and few had gotten a hold of the guards’ guns.

Violence continued until the situation was finally resolved on October 4, 3005, leaving the country in shambles. The majority of infrastructure had been destroyed and hundreds of deaths had occurred for both Captivi and Administratio. The Ruinous Revolt is considered a crucial period in Poenan history. The revolt was followed by legal and social repercussions dealt with by then President of Poena, Tara Khan. A total of 3 years were taken to completely rebuild all the buildings that were destroyed and damaged during the attacks.

Modern Day
Following the revolt, the then government under the Presidency of Tara Khan removed all non-socialist laws. The strictness and authoritarianism in the laws were regained to prevent any future revolts from arising again. Since the changes made after the Ruinous Revolt, no more attempts of rebellion have come to light and peace has continued to prevail in Poena for all these years.

Criteria for Residents in Poena
The population of Poena is divided into two social-economic groups: the Captivi (the prisoners) and the Administratio (the Administration). The only people allowed on the island are the residents, those from one of the two classes (exception for visitation rights).

Captivi
All Captivi must be a minimum of 18 years of age. Every Captivus must have been a prisoner from one of the 50 countries apart of S.R.O.P.A. They may apply or be invited to join the country until their sentence is over, as long as they fit they do not have a record of an ongoing history of violence.

Administratio
The members of the Administratio must be 21 years of age or older. They must pass S.R.O.P.A.’s mental health status exam and a background check to confirm that they fit the criteria for working on the prison island. They must be mentally stable and fit as well as have experience in the field that they are applying to work for.

At the beginning of the country’s history, government workers had to have no criminal record. Starting in 3001, this rule was removed to allow old prisoners of Poena to stay as government workers if they wished to and were fit for the job.

Liberi
This is the class that children born on Poena are in. The children are either from the Captivi or Administratio. They are in a separate class because they are neither Captivi nor members of the Administratio. They are an extreme minority.

The Presidents of Poena
All past presidents of Poena have generally stayed in office for approximately 15 years. They stay in office until they retire or, in some cases, until death. They may be petitioned to be removed if they are shown to be inadequate at their job. In such a case, S.R.O.P.A. will intervene.

The only time S.R.O.P.A. plays an active role in Poena is during elections. Based on their experiences and capabilities that fit the criteria, S.R.O.P.A. specifically chooses 5 candidates from around the globe to run for presidency. In Poena’s history, there have been Presidents from a mix of cultural and professional backgrounds. The main criteria that S.R.O.P.A. looks at for the candidates are leadership and management skills and integrity (so that they will not be bribed). Some of the Presidents’ previous jobs have been wardens from old prisons, leaders of countries, chiefs of police, and judges, among others. The entire populous of Poena will be mandated to vote for a President out of the five chosen candidates.

Government and Law
Poena is described as a hybrid regime, a mix between a democracy and an authoritarian regime. Although the citizens have the right to vote, who they vote for is limited by the government. Poena has the tradition of an egalitarian political ideology with an emphasis on social justice.

There are no political parties, meaning that the only influence on the citizens’ vote is the individual and their values rather than have the values of the party also play a factor.

The government of Poena has three branches: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. The legislative branch has two sections: the 1st House (commonly referred to as the House of Hell due to the language barriers) where bills are devised, and the 2nd House where those bills are voted on to be turned into laws. The executive branch is comprised of the President who oversees the running of the country. The judicial branch is the court system.

Historically, the most actively prosecuted crimes are concerning discrimination of race, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religion. This led S.R.O.P.A. to draft Poena’s constitutional system with a main focus on ensuring stability, but also to prevent discrimination of minority groups especially since there is a divide of nationalities.

Social ideology
The Poenan Government is authoritarian, this is because the government needs complete control to keep all citizens in line and make sure they are on the right path. The government wants to simulate a normal society as much as possible, so they give the right to vote but in a more controlled environment as the only people allowed to run for office are the candidates that S.R.O.P.A. has chosen. This prevents citizens from being able to be represented in government to the same degree as other true democratic society.

Poena firmly believes in the separation of Church and State since its citizens are from a multitude of religious backgrounds. It would be unfair for any one religion to play a major role in politics as it would lead to bias for a certain group.

Poena’s only news source is PAN (Poena Awesome News). It is translated into every language spoken in the country. Any citizen may submit an article for submission and its journalists are mainly Captivi. However, the Chief Editor, a member of the Administratio, has the final say over any publication. The citizens of Poena are allowed to “express themselves”, however everything is within the bounds of what the government allows, giving the illusion of self-expression. In other words, the populous is free to publish anything, as long as the government deems it true.

The government tries to supply as many basic human rights as possible, but some are impossible to grant as they go against the principles of a prison. Some rights that are infringed upon may include the right to privacy (to an extent), the freedom of movement, and the right to freedom of speech. All Captivi still have the right to no torture, the right to life, the right to equality, and freedom of religion, among others.

Economic ideology
As a socialist society, all of Poena’s businesses are controlled by the government. This country’s economy is predominately based on its labour force, as well as the exploitation and export of natural resources. The government manages all illegal substances such as weapons, drugs, and alcohol by completely banning them from entering the island. The only exception would be for the guards as weapons may be needed at times to keep the country safe from dangers.

There is no income tax in Poena as the Captivi do not make any money, and all tax is factored out of the Administratio’s salaries. There is also no sales tax, since goods are supplied and not bought, and no corporate tax either as there are no non-government corporations.

Flag and interpretation
The colour orange is the colour for the highest-security prisoners. The orange behind the neutral grey bars represents the inmates in prison. Orange is also the colour of independence, as the point of Poena is to have the prisoners rehabilitate and start living in a normal society. It also represents encouragement and society. The symbol of the pickaxes represents the labour force and the mining of Poena’s natural resources. The pickaxe is also a symbol of hard work, and the Captivi living in the country must work hard to become better versions of themselves.

List of the 50 Countries in S.R.O.P.A.
Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Libya, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Portugal, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sudan, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States of America, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia.

Top 5 Pop Culture References
1. “That 2020s Show”

“That 2020s Show” is an educational program made in 3012 based on the sitcom series “That ‘70s Show” (1998) and related spinoffs, including “That ‘90s Show” (2023), “That 2010’s Show” (2042), “That 2040s Show” (2068), and “That 2070s Show” (2099). “That 2020s Show” was made by the government of Poena in an attempt to make an interesting and educational series. It came out after “That 2070s Show” when the franchise was thought to be dead due to the poor reception of the latest seasons. This show focuses on the historical events during the 2020s such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the Australian bushfires, Taylor Swift breaking records and Ticketmaster in 2022, the Great Flooding, and the extinction of fish, among many others. It is currently on its 15th season and Tonnie Burner, the creator of this series, has recently announced that there are plans for at least 7 more.

2. “1984” by George Orwell The Captivi that are disgruntled about their situation often resonate with this book. They are living under an authoritarian regime and are heavily monitored similarly to the society in George Orwell’s “1984”. Many, like the main character, feel frustrated about their oppressive environment.

3. “Ghostbusters 34”

“Ghostbusters 34” is the major blockbuster movie of the year 3021. The cast is comprised of every A-list actor in the world (at the time of shooting), meaning that there were over 200 characters. This has led to critics saying that keeping track of its characters is “the single greatest challenge known to man”. This also means that this movie is accessible to every country since there is a recognizable face from every place in the world. This accessibility is one of the reasons it is so popular in the diverse country of Poena.

4. “Poena Super Cool (The Remix)” by DJ Khaled Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr.

DJ Khaled Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. is the most popular DJ in the world. He has graced Poena with the honour of making a remix of their already beautiful national anthem. “Poena Super Cool (The Remix)” still currently remains at #1 on Poena’s top music charts for over two consecutive years.

5. “Green Puffers”

Monlcer did a collaboration in 2019 with Pierpaolo Piccioli where they created high-end fashion coats. Over the decades, this particular style that they popularized has had multiple iterations by different brands such as Dior, Vibez, and Hyphen. Green Fashion, Poena's main clothing brand, created a collection in 3011 also inspired by Moncler, commonly known as Green Puffers. This clothing line has become a huge success in Poena and more similar designs have consistently been coming out since its first release.

“Poena Super Cool” (Poena’s National Anthem)
Prisoners, let’s all assemble

On this land that’s governmental

Poena

Super cool

Rocks and stones on its floor

Founded 2084

Poena

Super cool

Grab that shovel, you can do it

Dig the mine, put your back into it

Do it well, hear your roar

Let us work together, let’s get that ore

Interesting and nice and funny

All our people are so lovely

No more bad, that's the past

Come on, let’s show ‘em!