[quote=mdk]
I think you misunderstand. I'm arguing that violence is the cornerstone of legitimate authority. When I said 'Prison is the humane alternative,' I meant it sardonically. As in, 'Look what being nice got you.' It's a hellish cess-pool where stronger, more violent men seize powers that we, in our civil discretion, refused to take.
[/quote]

It's also a for-profit system that puts notoriously little time, money, and attention to actually help prisoners build marketable skills. In our country we incarcerate minorities in droves, who already encounter unique obstacles in the job market, and are further screwed with an arrest under the belt to boot. So, should this really be called 'being nice'? Frankly, it's a cheap pseudo-attempt that's more about money and sweeping problems under the rug rather than helping to change them. 

Violence is not the cornerstone of legitimate authority. One can lead and gain trust through an assortment of avenues using intellect, experience, perceived power (ex. Claiming position granted by a deity, or the classic American 'God Wills It'), and so on. Violence is totally one way to gain authority, sure, but it's also a lazy way that opens numerous other issues. Like children who hold their resentment and learn to hide their undesirable habits for when authority looks away, so to do the people. A violent leader may well have a population that looks true on the surface, but is in fact quite dishonest behind their backs.