Let no guilty man escape, if it can be avoided. No personal considerations should stand in the way of performing a duty.

Accountability is easy until it lands on someone you like. The whole test of a standard is what happens when applying it costs you a friendship, an ally, or your own comfort, because a rule that bends for the people close to you is not a rule but a preference. Knowing the person makes the excuse feel reasonable rather than corrupt.

If you are avoiding a hard conversation because of who it concerns, notice that the reason is about you and not about the facts. Have the conversation with the same words you would use for a stranger. Kindness in delivery is fine; kindness in the verdict is not.