Question: When someone is convicted under the law and is punished, does this reduce the amount of suffering he will have to do to work out his karma?

Sri Chinmoy: If somebody is convicted of a crime and the law has punished him then he has already paid the penalty. The karmic law has already been satisfied. But if the punishment is more than he deserves, then God's Compassion will come forward, and the next time he is doing something good, God will expedite his progress. Again, if his punishment here on earth is not enough, then God's Justice will come to the fore and his progress may be delayed by the Cosmic Law.