‘So what, he done dead already’

THE EDITOR: When I hear persons shouting in panic “hang them, hang them in the square” etc I realise what a morally and intellectually bankrupt group of people we have in this society. The cowards are always the one to cry for increased hangings, less human rights, benevolent dictatorships etc. Perhaps it is because I resided in a civilised society for approximately 15 years (Canada) and travelled to many other civilised societies that I can make the observations that I make. I should point out that America to my mind is not a civilised society. It was founded on greed, wholesale theft, genocide and inhumane practices and generally nothing has changed.

I have studied enough criminology to state that hanging has never acted as a deterrent. As a matter of fact, Poland, which wants to introduce the death penalty, has a debate going on. The main proponent for the death penalty was asked on BBC recently - “Can you provide me with statistics that the death penalty is a deterrent?” His reply was, “No, but,” and he went on with some simplistic explanation. The reporter turned to another story. In the days when Dickens wrote, men, women and children were hanged daily for petty crimes, eg stealing a loaf of bread. Hungry persons continued to steal and continued to be hanged. It was only after several reformists of the day wrote about the disgusting inhumane and utterly cowardly acts of hanging that steps were taken that eventually led to the abolition of the ghastly practice not only in England but in numerous progressive countries.

Now that we have DNA testing have you noticed how many people in the USA awaiting execution have been freed because they were wrongly convicted? Never in the history of Trinidad and Tobago has a police officer or prosecutor come forward and admitted that his/her evidence that led to the conviction of a person either for murder or otherwise has been flawed and took steps to reverse the conviction. DNA testing will definitely not help those that have been wrongly convicted and hanged but it matters not to Trinidadians how many innocent persons have been wrongly convicted and hanged. Of course, the hypocrites will say no innocent person in this country has been hanged or “so what, he done dead already.” So much for our enlightened society.

M HOTIN
St James