The fear of being banished from an OA-City would be a very powerful deterrent

CRIME & BANISHMENT    

On what grounds do I maintain that OA-Cities will be almost totally crime-free..?

There can be no guarantees but the chance of a criminally intentioned individual being admitted to an OA-City would be minimal as all OA-Citizens will have to have been approved by an ADMISSION PANEL composed of leading citizens or, most ideally, a rotating jury-style panel.  The application (for which applicants would have to pay a fee) and interview process should eliminate the more unsuitable applicants at the first hurdle. (The application fee alone might do much of the elimination work..!) 

JURY-STYLE ROTATING PANEL

Under a rotating jury-style panel each citizen would occasionally – once every 3 years maybe – be asked to vote yay or nay on the latest batch of aspiring new citizens.  The advantage over a permanent panel composed of the same group of “leading citizens” is that it should theoretically negate any accusations that the panel as a whole – or certain members of the panel – are prejudiced against certain types of applicant. 

Some say that most criminals are born, whilst others say they are created by stress and societal conditions, often by financial troubles.  OA-city life will be more secure and much less stressful, especially less financial stress what with no mortgages, car payments, or many of the other numerous ways of living beyond one’s means – spending money in order to impress others and to “keep up with the Jones’, etc. 

Most important will be the SENSE OF BELONGING that comes from being part of a like-minded community, especially one whose citizens have pledged to give some of their new-found spare time to Community Assistance Pledge (CAP) work.  I believe CAP will effectively mould OA-citizens into an extended family group..!   

Few citizens will be foolish enough to commit an offence which might jeopardise their citizenship status and risk being banished..!

VISITORS – Whilst still a novelty that outsiders want to visit, OA-Cities are sure to attract many PAYING VISITORS, – some may even get several thousand a day, thus generating a very useful income stream.   However useful that is, some visitors may be intent on causing trouble or might harbour malicious intent, perhaps a failed citizen applicant who enters with the intention of exacting revenge for being rejected as a citizen.  Although security will prevent the entry of weapons or explosives there is still a small possibility that someone intent on committing harm could either buy or steal a weapon – a kitchen knife typically – once inside.    

Since nowhere can ever be totally crime free, OA-Cities will need to have some appropriate punishments.  For a minor misdemeanour, instead of paying a fine there might be extra days of CAP work.  In more serious cases, the most powerful deterrent will be the threat of banishment, either temporarily or permanently.  But, where crime is committed by visitors – by far the most likely scenario – the threat of banishment will have no meaning.    OA-Cities will not have prisons so there will need to be some alternative sanction – exactly what form of punishment would be a matter for each community to debate and decide.   

CAR-FREE, CARE-FREE, CRIME-FREE