Does Britain have PreCogs?

You may recall the premise of "Minority Report," to wit: a small group of strange humans have the ability to see the future and predict who will commit crimes: such individuals may be arrested — or worse — without ever having done anything.

Okay, that's just a movie, you say, another fevered dream from Philip K. Dick.

Guess what?

It's not a dream.

In the new (December 23, 2006 — print edition) Economist, the following appears in an editorial: "The British government... is seeking to change the law in order to lock up people with personality disorders that are thought to make them likely to commit crimes, before any crime is committed."

How does this differ from "Minority Report?"

The U.K. is already the world leader — by a long shot — in density of surveillance cameras.

There are currently 4.2 million such cameras operating, about one for every 14 people in the country.

Now the British are preparing to take the first step onto what could prove a very slippery slope.

Who decides what's a personality disorder?

There are many among the deciders who themselves might be considered to have one.

bookofjoe will follow this development closely and report back in future episodes as warranted.