Our criminal law system is very very far from perfect, but personally I have a lot of faith in it. I was actually discussing this with a defense lawyer just this last weekend, and he shed some interesting light on the subject for me.

Its easy for you to say "less is more" being an intelligent individual with at least a little bit of care for your fellow man. The problem is... not everybody has that. There are a LOT of people out there who aren't intelligent in the least, and have NO care for their fellow man. I learned this lesson well answering 911 calls and dispatching for 3 years. People are scum, and they need to be directed or they will turn into animals. Sad as that is.

As for who makes the laws... our elected representatives. We elect people to make the changes. We have to tell our representatives when we want change, we have to get involved on some level, if that change is important (and no, bitching on Darkforum.com doesn't count). Its an imperfect system, but I think its the best one offered. Everyone has a chance, everyone gets an impartial trial. Thats better than a lot of places.