If a minor infringement is treated in the same way as a major breaking of the rules, does this prompt adherence to the rules at all costs, or simply undermine the difference between things that don’t really matter, and things that are incredibly serious?

If a punishment does not fit the crime, this can lead to people covering up for one another out of a sense of injustice at harsh punishment for trivial offences. Covering up undermines all of the rules, and the authority of those who make them. Therefore, each ‘crime’ must be treated individually and in context, and the punishment should always fit the crime.

“As members of the military we realize the necessity of adherence to orders, yet we also acknowledge that it is our responsibility to make sound decisions when little or no guidance is provided. If we train our future officers to adhere to principles of honesty and integrity because they are punished for not doing so at what point do we encourage their individual responsibility?” (The Honor Concept of the U.S. Naval Academy).

See 5 Clubs.

Midn 1/C Ostwind and Midn 1/C Dunlap, The Honor Concept of the U.S. Naval Academy

http://isme.tamu.edu/JSCOPE99/Navy99.html