Dear Editor
It is palpable that the majority of Guyanese prefer the retention of the death penalty as the best deterrent against capital crime.
Guyana and other countries which have enacted laws to sentence convicted terrorists to death should take steps to amend them and abolish the death penalty altogether, top international advocates against the death penalty said Wednesday. Commissioner for the International Commission against the Death Penalty, Ms Navi Pillay, told a news conference ahead of a judicial colloquium with Guyanese judges and magistrates that she hoped that Guyana would review its Terrorism Act that has 12 provisions for the death penalty.
For the following reasons below I suggest that the death penalty should be supported by all and retained in Guyana:
The death penalty gives closure to the victims’ families who have suffered.
It creates another form of crime deterrent.
Justice is better served.
It would seem that our justice system shows more sympathy for criminals than it does victims.
DNA testing and other methods of modern crime-scene science can now effectively eliminate almost all uncertainty as to a person’s guilt or innocence.
Prisoner parole or escapes can give criminals another chance to kill. It contributes to the problem of overpopulation in the prison system.
It gives prosecutors another bargaining chip in the plea bargain process, which is essential in cutting costs.
Guyana should retain the death penalty.
Yours faithfully,
Rooplall Dudhnath