Facility of pardon is an incentive to crime.

Explanation

(English-origin maxim.) Easy pardons encourage crime — when offenders expect clemency, the deterrent force of the law is destroyed and lawlessness increases.

Where this applies

• A governor pardons every drug offender in the state, and drug arrests triple the following year because dealers no longer fear consequences.
• A school that never enforces its cheating policy finds that nearly every student starts copying homework.
• A judge who routinely suspends sentences for repeat drunk drivers sees the same offenders back in court within months.