Maybe law is closer related to art than most of us are aware of. But art and power do often stand in a strained relationship.

If pain is too bad to be executed by everybody, and seen by everybody, is it not because it is too bad?

We have distant democracy, well suited to a distant penocracy, well suited to serve a large-scale society using taximeters to control the price of all acts.

Look for alternatives to punishments, not only alternative punishments.