Project Gutenberg 2008-01-22 Public domain in the USA. 144 McComas, J. Francis 1911 1978 McComas, Jesse Francis McComas, Jessie Francis Freas, Kelly 1922 2005 Freas, Frank Kelly Criminal Negligence Produced from Astounding Science Fiction June 1955. Produced by Greg Weeks, Greg Bergquist and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Criminal Negligence" by J. Francis McComas is a science fiction narrative likely written in the mid-20th century. The story unfolds in a dystopian future where Earth is on the brink of extinction due to a self-replicating radioactive dust, compelling some humans to embark on a desperate journey to Mars. The topic revolves around moral dilemmas concerning leadership, responsibility, and society's treatment of criminals in the face of impending doom. The plot centers on Warden Halloran of a high-security prison, who is approached by military and scientific officials with plans to evacuate select individuals to Mars. However, Halloran grapples with the ethical implications of leaving behind his inmates—a group often overlooked by society. As panic erupts among the prisoners upon learning of their potential abandonment, Halloran steps out to calm them, asserting their worth and urging them to take initiative in establishing their own community. The story raises questions about humanity, rehabilitation, and what constitutes justice, creating a compelling exploration of the human condition in a time of crisis. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 86.6 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories Prisons -- Fiction PS Text Science Fiction Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy 67890 2025-08-10T07:18:14.239332 text/html 64581 2008-01-22T07:58:02 text/html 137669 2025-08-10T07:18:16.073333 application/epub+zip 136414 2025-08-10T07:18:14.520326 application/epub+zip 54233 2025-08-10T07:18:14.366324 application/epub+zip 170953 2025-08-10T07:18:17.399300 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 162862 2025-08-10T07:18:15.863304 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 81150 2022-09-11T09:50:45.227301 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 60059 2025-08-10T07:18:14.102327 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 59883 2008-01-22T07:58:02 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 59875 2008-01-22T07:58:02 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 21325 2025-08-10T07:18:17.726305 application/rdf+xml 9304 2025-08-10T07:18:14.419317 image/jpeg 1564 2025-08-10T07:18:14.393323 image/jpeg 23599 2008-01-22T07:58:04 application/octet-stream application/zip 132129 2008-01-22T07:58:04 application/octet-stream application/zip 23584 2008-01-22T07:58:04 application/octet-stream application/zip 133859 2025-08-10T07:18:14.252330 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia en.wikipedia