Does Democracy Enhance or Reduce Lethal Violence? Examining the Role of the Rule of Law

First, a society with an independent judiciary should have a populace that perceives a greater amount of justice in the legal system. Legitimacy, of any institution, should act as an internal control (see LaFree, 1998). Moreover, the idea that functioning courts grounded in the concept of rule of law are more likely to punish individuals in an appropriate manner, and, thus, reduce the attractiveness of a given criminal opportunity is a long-standing concept. For example, in summarizing the reasons for the effectiveness of the HOPE Probation Program, Judge Steven Alm specifically highlights fairness in punishment as a key element in maximizing deterrence, stating, “When the system isn’t consistent and predictable, when people are punished randomly, they think, ‘My probation officer doesn’t like me,’ or, ‘Someone’s prejudiced against me,’ rather than seeing that everyone who breaks a rule is treated equally, in precisely the same way.” (Rosen, 2010).