The police get warnings from their bosses here if they give a caution instead of a fine. They aren't even allowed to use their own judgement.
It feels like everyone's hands are tied in some way. You're afraid to protect yourself for fear of reprisal from the justice system. Interference from bureaucracy only tends to make more problems because they aren't at ground zero to know how things work and you behin to think they don't really care anyway as long as it doesn't touch them.
It's beyond me why anyone thought privatising the prison system in the US would be a good thing.