Both. I'm against the death penalth and believe that the parole board is too easy and judges slap people on the wrist for minor offenses.

Way too dysfunctional, To even elaborate on question would in fact drive me nuts

I think it is too soft and it is applied unequally. I am 'pro' the death penalty. I am being a bit hard nosed in this: I do not like paying for a lifetime of imprisonment for prisoners who are only NOT getting the death penalty because it is illegal. I am even more hard nosed: except in cases like those of an abused wife snapping and killing her husband, I say "an eye for an eye" and I do not care about a killer's troubled childhood. Not everyone with a troubled childhood goes on to kill. The justice system is WAY too soft on just about everyone. People are let off with a slap on the wrist for major felonies. When a child rapist can get off with about 10 years, out early if he acts well, there is something very wrong with the justice system. Another thing is that the justice system is applied unequally. Now, it is true that if you are a minority (especially in a hate crime and if you are one of those "disliked" minorities... like me) you tend to have less justice served. Often judges AND attorneys do not like you. But that is not the big problem with the trial process. The real problem is that justice tends to be dealt in favor of those with money. This is a FACT, even if you are one of said disliked minorities. If you have the money to get a top notch lawyer, or even a good one, you have much better chances. Of course, some public defenders are excellent, but the money thing usually holds sway.

It's pathetically too soft. A person's behavior is determined by how painful or pleasurable something is. If something isn't painful enough for them to stop, they continue the same patterns.