In late August, Swiss authorities announced that due to Western sanctions against Russia that prompted the latter to shut off the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, the Swiss people will not be allowed to heat their homes past 19 degrees Celsius, or 66.2 degrees Fahrenheit.

Swiss economic department spokesman Markus Sporndli told the Blick newspaper this week that gas supplies are dwindling, which means restrictions are necessary to avoid a total energy loss come winter.

"Violations of the country's law on supplies always constitute offenses or even crimes and should be prosecuted by cantons by default," Sporndli is quoted as saying, explaining that intentional violators of the new rule face up to three years of prison time.

This writer is no expert on the subject, but it would seem as though heating a prison might be more energy intensive than heating a single-family home or flat – especially if prison space has to be expanded to accommodate all the new offenders who will be ripped out of their homes and sent to the climate gulag.