We are not living in a society of saints. It is tempting for people to use their power position on they behalf if they can (no matter on a big politicans scale or a little street thug scale). There are always people who think they can not be caught, that they are clever more than the system, or simply not think at all, just act. They are de facto criminals (not always de jure). Let say it is 10 % of overall population.

Now, think of the majority of population. They don’t do crime, not because they are simply better, but because their neural networks are learned (completely fits with determinism!) that crime is not acceptable behavior. In forming their neural networks (brains) to think so, a big causal role has idea of punishment. Not only the idea, but experience: personal experience (growing up, upbringing, rising), or learning from other people bad punishment experience. The punishment institution has been built into them since childhood, so they internalize it in some ethical code. So they don’t think any more about it, they simply act well and play according to rules. That is why they don’t make crime.

Now, remove institution of punishment and you will get chaos. You’ll get all that neural networks left to learn to act ethically just on weak (what empathy? Intelectual contemplation on Good and Evil? Come on…That is bullshit). We are not living in a society of saints!