VII – IDENTIFICATION, LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND CONTROL
STATUS TRANSITION PROTOCOL
At the moment of Lottery activation:
• a visible countdown timer begins
• civic personhood is suspended
• the citizen is reclassified as Animal pending Processing
• clothing privileges are revoked
Public acknowledgment of status transition is culturally normalized.
Failure to report before countdown expiration results in immediate state retrieval.
Tampering with the identification watch triggers Enforcement response.
Failure to report within the seven-day grace period may activate Bloodline Culling Protocol as defined by state statute.
Bloodline Culling Protocol applies only to Lottery-selected individuals who evade reporting.

IDENTIFICATION WATCH SYSTEM
All citizens wear a government-issued identification watch.
Watch color indicates legal status:
Green — Citizen
Full personhood retained.
Red — Animal
Selected for Processing. Personhood suspended.
Yellow — Processing Center personnel (Butchers, technicians, staff)
The watch cannot be removed.
Tampering triggers automatic enforcement response.

ENFORCEMENT & RETRIEVAL
Animal Control
Animal Control units are responsible for recovering Runaway Animals.
A Runaway Animal is defined as:
• a selected individual who fails to report to a Processing Center within the seven-day grace period
• a citizen who removes or tampers with a government identification watch
Animal Control officers track and retrieve these individuals for immediate transfer to Processing Center custody.
Runaways are considered state property in flight.
Capture operations prioritize speed and containment rather than public visibility.

Enforcement Officers
Enforcement Officers function as the state police force.
Their responsibilities include:
• maintaining civic order
• responding to watch tampering alerts
• securing citizens during status transition events
• escorting Criminal Conversions to Processing Centers
Enforcement Officers do not perform Processing.
Their role ends once an Animal is delivered to Processing Center jurisdiction.

TRANSPORT PROTOCOL
Animals carrying active red-status watches are granted access to public transportation for the purpose of reporting to Processing Centers.
Transport access is permitted only under the following conditions:
• the Animal must be fully nude
• the identification watch must display active red status
• the Animal must not be registered as a Runaway
Animals traveling under red status are considered self-reporting state Animal property.
Transport operators are not responsible for supervising Animals beyond verifying watch status.
Failure to report after transport use results in Runaway classification.

PRIVATE PROCESSING PERMITS
Under limited circumstances, private slaughter may be authorized through a state-issued permit.
Permits allow licensed individuals to process an Animal outside of Processing Centers.
Private processing remains heavily regulated and must comply with all Conversion laws and identification verification protocols.
Unauthorized slaughter carries severe criminal penalties.

RUNAWAY CAPTURE STATUS
Animals who fail to report to a Processing Center within the required reporting period are classified as Runaways.
Runaways represent a direct violation of Conversion law and an attempt to evade civic responsibility under the Lottery system.
Animal Control units are tasked with locating and recovering these individuals through coordinated domestic and international enforcement operations.
Once captured, Runaways are returned to Processing Center jurisdiction for status reassessment.
Runaway capture events are typically handled with minimal public visibility in order to prevent disruption to civilian life.

RUNAWAY RECLASSIFICATION
Upon capture, Runaways lose all privileges normally granted to Animals during the standard reporting period.
Because the individual has demonstrated deliberate refusal to comply with Conversion law, their legal status is reclassified as Runaway Property.
Runaway Property is considered state-owned biological labor rather than scheduled Processing stock.
Unlike standard Animals, Runaways are no longer entitled to:
• reporting period privileges
• public movement
• family visitation
• counseling services
• facility amenities
Runaways are retained for labor purposes until physical exhaustion, medical failure, or administrative termination.

RUNAWAY LABOR ASSIGNMENT
Captured Runaways are typically assigned to physically demanding labor roles under direct state supervision.
These roles may include:
• hazardous industrial labor
• remote infrastructure maintenance
• agricultural reclamation work
• waste processing and sanitation operations
• hazardous material handling
Runaways may be relocated to specialized labor compounds or restricted industrial zones where supervision can be maintained continuously.
Runaway labor assignments are intentionally demanding.
The purpose of the classification is both punitive and deterrent, reinforcing the consequences of attempting to evade the Conversion system.

CIVIC PERCEPTION
Within System society, Runaways are viewed differently from standard Animals.
Animals selected through the Lottery are widely regarded as individuals fulfilling an unavoidable civic role.
Runaways, by contrast, are perceived as individuals who attempted to place personal survival above the stability of society.
For this reason, public sympathy toward Runaways is extremely limited.
Even citizens who express compassion toward Animals often view Runaways with hostility due to the severe consequences their actions may trigger under Bloodline Culling statutes.

ADMINISTRATIVE PURPOSE
The Runaway Labor Program serves several institutional functions:
• discouraging attempts to evade Conversion
• reinforcing public compliance with reporting requirements
• providing labor for hazardous or undesirable tasks
• preventing repeated escape attempts
By ensuring that Runaways remain alive but permanently deprived of privilege, the system communicates a clear message regarding the consequences of refusing Conversion.
Within institutional doctrine this policy is often summarized in simple terms:
Conversion is civic duty.
Refusal removes all privilege.