Passage Summary: A fair legal system shouldn't let criminals get ahead by breaking the rules, so we must make sure punishments take away any profit they made from their crimes.

Conclusion: Criminal punishment should be designed to ensure that breaking the law is not a profitable endeavor.

Reasoning: A legal system can only be considered just if it prevents lawbreakers from gaining an unfair advantage over those who follow the law.

Analysis: The statement in question is the foundational premise of the argument. It establishes a general principle about what makes a legal system 'just,' which the jurist then applies to reach a specific conclusion about the goal of punishment. In 'Role in Argument' questions, look for how a statement provides the 'why' for the conclusion. Here, the need for fairness is the logical engine driving the recommendation for profitless crime.