>I'm not sure how to develop this point, but it seems to me that at the
>present time the principle need (of the ruling class) that criminal
>justice serves is the need to have the population feel a need for the
>criminal justice system.
>
>About 25 years ago I thoroughly convinced a bright young woman in one of
>my classes that rigorous welfare standards had the effect of lowering
>wages all through the system -- including hers. (The point to be made
>does not depend on the accuracy of this proposition, for she accepted
>it.) She also accepted that "catching cheats" would probably involve
>setting standards high enough that many legitimate claims would be
>denied (with a consquent lowering of benefits on the whole). Hence,
>"catching cheats" was not in _her_ interest. Her final conclusion:
>People shouldn't be allowed to get away with cheating.
>
>Retributive justice (or, more accurately, a public belief in retributive
>justice) corrupts the public realm. It is a major barrier to
>working-class unity and intertwines importantly with racism. It is
>better that a thousand disabled people receive no benefits than that one
>fake should receive any. Et cetera. You have to watch "those people."
>
>Carrol