Jumping on your notes of Criminal Justice: In the episode “Ensign Ro” there was this throwaway line
RO: Well, if he’s sent to the stockade on Jaros Two, tell him to request a room in the east wing. The west wing gets awfully hot in the afternoons.
When I saw this as teen it did not really strongly register with me. Thinking about it now, though, with the real world context of prisoners dying in cells because of heat, I find it significantly more disturbing. The Federation has the power to control the weather. Energy is cheap enough to be free. They have cells which are uncomfortably hot.
I have noticed that even among the most liberal, high minded members of society on the topic of justice, or the most anarchist-lefty abolitionists of prison, certain crimes still stoke the fires of vengeance. Hurting children or engaging in treason still stokes some serious desire for vengeance, and I would not be surprised if a degree of discomfort as applied to punishment never goes away. The more the Federation faces attack or external threats, the more the public might be swayed to making the criminals “pay”
In the end a contract is only as valid as the enforcement behind it.
Between two people of the same nation, a court willing to say “Yeah that’s valid” and enforce it with the power of the state makes a contract quite powerful.
Between two entities that cannot agree on a means to arbitration, or have that means enforced on them, it’s basically only as valuable as their willingness to accept it.
“A contract is a contract is a contract… but only between Ferengi” might seem like a straight up dismissal of another’s species rights to be negotiated with, but its also a warning. If the Ferengi authorities don’t have the power and will to enforce your contract with a Klingon living in free space, then a contract lacks the enforcement clauses that make it absolute.
So how binding is it? As binding as the parties allow it to be.