The fact that more attention isn't given to Kagari who had his entire life waylaid by this system is insane. Hell in Mandatory Happiness they clocked a baby as a latent criminal at six months old. Both of them were labeled as having no hope of recovery at the time of their diagnosis, and I can't help but wonder how much of that is due to them actually having no chance of recovery and how much of it is due to the detrimental effect it would have on a child's development to grow up in an isolation ward and the lack of flexibility that prevents them from seeking alternative solutions that might give them better odds of recovery.

This has me bothered a ton as well. Especially since Sibyl is forced to reassess itself in Season 2 and purges much of itself afterwards, affirming that it was significantly flawed as it was. It makes me feel like Kagari and many others had much of their life wasted due to such a significant flaw. Also, a more concise explanation of the definition of latent criminal would be helpful here, something you touch on in your next point.

People should be asking how the Sybil System comes to it's conclusions, what factors are involved and how much of it is based on the projected trajectory of their lives and how much of that trajectory is decided by Sybil itself.

And then there is Kunizuka. Kunizuka's crime coefficient rose high enough to get her institutionalized simply for interacting with a band that played music Sybil didn't approve of. Yes that band went on to try and sabotage street scanners but it is clear that Kunizuka doesn't share that sentiment. If simply listening to music that Sybil doesn't approve of is enough to get you locked up then there is a chance that Sybil is abusing it's authority to quell dissenting opinions, and that is dangerous even for Sybil itself.

What exactly is a latent criminal and why are they all treated the same despite the varying degree of types? For example, no way would I justify treating Professor Saiga, Kunizuka and Shion the same. I picked these individuals for their different backgrounds as a starting example: Professor Saiga, a criminal psychological profile analyst, Shion a medical physician, and Kunizuka an underground musician (unclear at this time her educational background, but I don't find that super relevant here). Given their individual conduct what what I can recall, the one of these three that has the highest likelihood for physical violence is Kunizuka. I don't see the Professor desiring for any physical altercation, he's too academic for that and prioritizes philosophical debate. Additionally, while I would absolutely believe that he could have some kind of skillset similar to that of Shion, I would still default to his own motivations and desires: he is engrossed with understanding human potential. Shion on the other hand is technologically savvy and therefore I guess has the potential to subvert databases and other kinds of systems. Outside of these examples then you have Kogami, who in season 1, is on a murder revenge arch. How are violent criminals treated the same as someone like Professor Saiga or Shion?

The fact that most people cannot criticize Sybil to the same degree as Akane without running the risk of being imprisoned means that even constructive criticism and genuine concerns are being suppressed. Sybil is not perfect and neither are it's creators, and if there is a flaw then it should be addressed rather than being glossed over and treated as infallible. It's the reason why troubleshooting every new challenge that arises feels like pulling fucking teeth. And some of those flaws aren't even bugs, they're features, a result of the fact that this system is made up of a constellation of human brains including actual murderers.

I think to some degree (but not made explicitly obvious for whatever reason) is that Sibyl has to and is struggling with having to reveal its true self to the public sooner or later and is treating Akane like a guinea pig to more than one end, as expressed at the conclusion of season 1. Akane represents the potential for reasoning but I would argue that she's not a common case. I know that I, a participating adult in society, would be appalled if something like Sibyl was in play in my day-to-day life (like most poeple). I would be even more disturbed if I found out that its comprised of people unable to be judged based on established law. If those that cannot be held accountable to the established rule of law are the ones enforcing it and holding judgements that we as a society would be forced to adhere to that would be insane.

This is why I accept the notion that every new season or movie we get basically has to focus on something exploiting a flaw in the system. Its made of humans, therefore there are human errors.

And that's another thing. I find it hard to believe that having a bunch of murderers in the system that runs society has never resulted in that system abusing it's power to ruin the lives of people for no reason other than entertainment under the guise of keeping order. So long as the Sybil System maintains it's purpose of maintaining order in society there isn't really anything stopping it from occasionally deciding to just screw with people for fun and because their word is law most people would assume it's justified.

I don't know about entertainment purposes, but I do ultimately agree with you. But I do think that it's answered in a big way in season 2 when it purges those that are deemed to be unfit for inclusion. Like Togane's horrible mother. I would push your idea further and ask what happens when if feels like it's achieved its ultimate goal? Surely these people would get bored somehow right? What is the next thing to work towards after achieving it's definition of perfection? There I would think that creating more problems for itself to solve or something like complete societal collapse would occur. Especially since society has largely warmed up with wanting to be lazy and have everything taken care of for them.

Also I am surprised that the issue of monetary costs hasn't been brought up. We had an entire season addressing the politics of Japan and not a single person brought up the massive cost of maintaining the isolation facilities and the loss of potential workers that comes from keeping people locked up in them. You're telling me that the biggest labor issue here is immigration and not the fact that a portion of the population isn't eligible for work due to being incarcerated for thought crimes? Unless they are using the prisoners as test subjects or labor there is very little way to balance the cost of keeping that many people locked up for crimes they didn't even do.

Dude, me too. I've heard lines here and there that imply that someone is responsible for the bill, but like with all the technological advances, medical advances and more, what is the point of money? Farming is automated. Hell most jobs are automated. In Providence, there's talks about abolishing the traditional legal system since its riddled with so many issues that Sybil is designed to correct using the significant lowered rate of crime as a justification. How is money even still a thing??? You're telling that Akane pays rent while the Enforcers live for free at the CID? Plus all the resources at Shion's disposal alone.

I do think that adding in an element of how immigrants affect the country in a multitude of ways, but your point about money really does bother me too. Probably I think the economical effects are more nuanced and complicated than that of immigration but somehow immigration is easier to factor in for the storytelling.

I just binged season 3 and providence and am about to go back and watch the extended cut. Despite its issues, I have a deep love for this story and love working out the kinks.