Of course they likely wouldn’t be let out ever again, and given their control of their countries military

Except there’s historical examples of tyrants getting out of their sentences and taking control of their military. The notable that comes to mind is Napoleon.

Not for a justice system that was developed hand-in-hand with the KKK (yes, the police really did develop that way) then I’ll agree in that condition due to the system often being used to suppress minorities. But that’s not what’s being discussed here.