Precrime is well established in the Land Of The Free.
Nowhere has the Precrime idea been more successful than with drinking and driving. There was a time when driving while intoxicated was much like hate crimes are now, an additional charge to an actual offense, but a charge which welded guilt to the accused. Then there came a time when property damage or injury or death wasn't required, any infraction was enough to incur the additional charge, why wait until innocents are injured or killed?
Then driving while intoxicated was the crime, discovered not through any overt act but with highway checkpoints and mandatory breath and blood tests. Next driving itself wasn't even required, merely being in your car sleeping it off in the passenger seat was enough. There isn't so much as an event, much less a crime. The principle is clear, Precrime prosecution needn't concern itself with an actual act, nor even with intent. Some may say this is overthinking it, but why wait until innocents are injured or killed by drunks sleeping in their car?
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