“I hereby find that your Graffiti has defaced our environment.” intoned The Judge gravely, handing down his verdict. “Your actions degrade the world for your fellow citizens and this will not be tolerated.
“Graffiti is an age-old problem; one that up to now, has not had an appropriate punishment. That is to say, whatever punishment the court has been able to impose has been either ineffective or counter-productive. It is well known for example, that in many circles a conviction for Graffitiing is seen as a rite of passage conferring numerous perceived benefits on the offender.
“I am normally required to hand down a community service order or fine or some sort of detention. However,” The Judge paused for effect. “The Prosecution has noted that you possess an active neural enhancement grid and have pointed out to me that this opens up a new sentencing pathway for me.
“Your ‘artistry’—as you would have it—clearly relies on a fine appreciation of colour, a keen set of senses and an ability to undertake delicate yet demanding activities. You plainly receive ‘inspiration’ for your works from your appreciation of a wide variety of music, food and stimulants.
“I have taken these factors into account in developing a sentencing scheme as follows: your neural enhancement grid will be adjusted such that you will see only highly muted colours; your perception of sound will be heavily filtered; your senses of touch, smell and taste will be greatly attenuated; your reaction speed will be decreased and your fine motor skills altered. In addition to this, your grid will be permanently patched to break the dopamine-based reward response for certain stimulants
“Taken together, these changes should make it impossible for you to undertake any further “works of art.”
“In summary: three months’ worth of sensory deprivation should sort you out.
“Next.”