A law can be defined as a system of rules “imposed to govern behavior”. The laws have been in place for hundreds of years, and without them the United States and other countries would be in chaos. Changes are constantly being made to improve current laws, and new laws are starting to emerge. The rule of law plays an important role in Western democracies. That said, there are also parts of the world where the rule of man is more evident than the rule of law. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Laws do not discriminate, which means that whatever the law is, it applies to everyone. They must be clear and public to everyone. The rule of law states that laws must be enforced and fair, which is often questionable. For these laws to be effective, justice must be served by a group of ethical and good character individuals. Finally, what people sometimes fail to understand is that the laws are not only to be respected by civilians in that district but also by government officials. There are several factors that must be present for the law to be one hundred percent effective. In addition to hiring people of good character to serve justice, we must ensure that these people are ethically aware and practice ethical behavior. This results in the absence of corruption. Officers should be required to complete ethics training and encourage reporting of any misconduct. Corruption is one of the hot topics surrounding the media and the police today. According to the law it is imperative that civilians are aware of their rights. By not making a civilian aware of their rights at the time of arrest, the entire case basically goes out the window. Miranda rights got their infamous name in the case Miranda v. Arizona, where the rights were not read at the time of arrest. Due to the fact that his rights were not read, his constitutional rights were found to have been violated. For this reason it is one of the things not to forget when arrested and is something that is practiced on a daily basis. Furthermore, the laws must be practiced frequently to be affective. Rules and regulations must be enforced regularly to maintain order and safety within society. In addition to this, if laws are violated, disciplinary actions must be followed in a timely manner. These laws should be applied uniformly throughout the community. Laws must be enforced fairly even among civilians who appear to violate them. Finally, justice must actually be served. This means that people within a community should have a relationship with officials in which they feel safe and able to express their opinions. If people feel safe reporting crimes, crime rates are less likely to continue to increase. Not only that, but people should feel that if they were to report a crime, it will be handled in a timely manner and will actually be solved. Justice should be easily accessible. The rule of law lays the foundation for Western democracies. It establishes specific parameters that help shape our society. Laws help keep society in order and provide us with guidelines and limits. Without laws, as stated above, society would most likely experience absolute chaos. Saying “no one is above the law” means that those who serve justice must also respect the laws. People tend to think that police officers or government officials are capable of having freedom.