Do Our Laws Have Meaning?

Plato wrote this, the longer form of which is “Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly. While bad people will find a way around the laws.” 

I captured this from a prompt from an exam in a college class in philosophy or law, which read, Critically analyse this statement. (250 words)

If that’s your point, why have laws at all?  Why should a society make rules that, if broken, won’t result in the punishment of the criminals?

In today’s legal/political scene in the United States, we have a former president who clearly a) isn’t a “good person,” and b) is facing legal consequences for his attempt to overthrow American democracy.  Fortunately, we have laws that prohibit sedition and treason, and, we hope, effective enforcement of the same.