Just Punishments
A Just Society requires a just legal code with just punishments in proportion to the crime committed. In general, the primary objectives of punishment are as follows:
1. Allow good people to fix mistakes. We are all human, and we all make mistakes. Good people will recognize this and try to make amends, so a Just Society should provide laws and guidelines to help good people determine what is proportional in ambiguous cases.
2. Set those who are wandering astray back on the path of righteousness. Since the ultimate purpose of a Just Society is to help its people reach Heaven, this is the most important, if challenging, objective. Since the world is far more complex than we mortals can comprehend, there is no simple solution. Society will have to experiment and learn from its mistakes to achieve the best outcomes it can in this imperfect world, and that requires flexibility.
3. Remove evil people. The unfortunate reality is that some people are irredeemably evil. These people cannot be corrected and will only cause further harm if allowed to roam free, so the only just solution is to get rid of them. While this can be done through exile or life in prison, the most practical solution is usually death. Modern evidence methods have eliminated much of the doubt that led society towards life in prison once it became economically viable, so while the occasional mistake by we fallible mortals is still inevitable, they will be rare enough that we can afford to let God correct it after the execution.
4. Protect society. Society is a complex system of interacting parts, all of which need to continue functioning properly to remain just. Since there will always be evil both within and without attempting to subvert or destroy a Just Society, a just legal code must include protections against corruption in addition to a strong defense against external threats.
While there are many other subordinate goals and tools of justice like deterring crime and education, their use must always flow back to these four overarching objectives. Similarly, the legal system must be conscious of the difference between people since a rich man wouldn’t even notice a fine which would ruin a poor man, so community service cleaning a park might be a better solution which inconveniences both equally while providing additional benefit to society as a whole.
Ultimately, as with all things, we must remember that we flawed mortals can never achieve a perfect solution in this imperfect world. All we can do is try our best to build a society that leads as many people as possible to God so they may enjoy perfection in Heaven.