If at times silence serves as a safeguard, then this is more proper than insisting on a safeguard…
This is my advice: Persuade with a soft tongue, once and twice, and gather many friends around the evildoers, providing gentle and minimal rebuke with abundant warmth and closeness. Perhaps they will merit to return from their evil ways, and the wicked will be no more. If they do not listen and persist, then it may be time to take strict and precise action against them as needed.
For can there be anything that does not require weighing the loss against the benefit? One must proceed with patience, agreement, and deliberation, so that the many will turn towards Heaven. The greater the act, the more supervision and removal of anger is required. A judge must be concerned that perhaps his zeal for the honor of the Blessed Name will consume him, leading him to stray from the proper and correct path. Therefore, when vengeance comes before him, while it is still in his grasp, he should not hastily devour it, lest he consumes it unripe. Instead, he should cook it and sweeten it in the counsel of the elders, who are upright in their hearts.
If there are well-known wicked individuals, and you wish to discipline them, yet they remain obstinate in their ways, then consult with the elders, whether to flog them, amputate a hand or foot, or even execute them. Even though the Torah laws have been suspended from the Sanhedrin, they have not been nullified for the necessity of the hour.
The Rashba’s times were different from ours, and unlike his era, we no longer have an autonomous justice system capable of significant enforcement measures. Nor would it be productive to act in such a way when individuals could simply leave the community. In the Middle Ages, Jews did not have the option to join another community, so ostracism and stronger punishments were sometimes effective. Nevertheless, the overall philosophy and approach of the Rashba still resonate today. We should prioritize love and gradual enlightenment over extended periods. If such measures prove ineffective, and the transgressions are significant, we must act with careful deliberation, without anger or pride. It is hard to imagine a situation in today’s social climate where aggressive sanctions would be effective, but if circumstances call for strict responses, they must be carefully reviewed and executed without haste.