Why follow the law?

In class we discussed the various reasons for following the law. Laws are enacted to keep social control and to ensure some form of justice. If a person commits a horrendous act like rape or murder, they should be punished accordingly to ensure that the victim receives justice and to keep society in line. If there were no laws prohibiting such serious felonies, some people would be more inclined to do them. I'm not saying all people would because most of the population in today's society has some form of morals and would not purposely kill another human being whether there is a law prohibiting it or not. Also I think how a person is brought up plays a very vital role as well. If they are continuously told that certain acts are wrong and shouldn't be done, no matter what the law is, they are going to refrain from such acts. This is where I agree with Raz that people will think morally before acting as such. However, i think this is only true for serious offenses. If there was no law prohibiting shop lifting, i think there would be mass chaos in supermarkets and stores because many people do not stop and think about who that decision is affecting. Without laws and rules in society, we would have anarchy and our civilization could never prosper. We need certain laws that may seem trivial like jay-walking because without it, there would be many more car accidents and personal injuries. However, at the same time, i feel that police officers should use some discretion and leniency when enforcing these smaller, more trivial laws in order to keep the public satisfied.