Laws should be flexible enough to take account of various circumstances, times, and places.Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developi

Laws are set of rules that are formulated to govern the behaviour of people to ensure common good. As jurisprudence has evolved so much that it has led to taking into account changes. Thus, I do agree that in general laws should be flexible enough to take into account various circumstances, times, and places. Yet, there are certain laws dealing with heinous crimes which should not be allowed to take refuge under the veneer of flexibility.

Firstly, let us take the example of corruption. Earlier laws on corruption primarily dealt with coercive bribery where the bribe taker was punished. This was relevant in times when country's development is low and bureaucracy was powerful enough to extract money from hapless and poor. HOwever, in the modern era where society has seen rapid development there are more cases of private individuals colluding with government officials to reap rewards of development. Thus, there is need for laws which deal effectively with this collusive bribery so that both bribe giver and taker are equally punished to ensure justice is served in changed times and circumstances.

Similarly, consider laws on traffic violation in rural areas and urban areas. In urban areas where density of the people are more and there is large vehicular traffic, traffic laws are strict and punish severely any violation of speed limits which are generally low. In rural areas where density of people and traffic is very less, laws concerning traffic violations are little more lenient of crossing speed limits which are generally higher. This, shows how laws should evolve according to place.

On the other hand, there are certain offences like heinous crimes of rape, genocide, etc. for which laws cannot be flexible. These are crimes which strike collective sense of morality of the societies and perpetrators should be punished severely irrespective of the circumstances claimed for clemency. For example, let us take the case of rape of women by security forces in insurgency affected areas. There is no way they can claim immunity based on explanations of using psychological warfare on enemy or need to maintain morale of the force. Laws concerning these should be applied with equal effectiveness across time, place or circumstances. This can be done by creating a supra-national body like International Court of Justice.

In conclusion, it is important that laws be flexible according to changing time, circumstances and places. Yet, it is also important that certain laws are concrete enough so that perpetrators of serious crimes do not take refuge under mask of flexibility.