The Editor, Sir:

Please permit me to share with your readers my thoughts on the resumption of hanging in Jamaica. Hanging will never be resumed in Jamaica. Therefore, all Jamaicans who believe that the resumption of hanging will cause a reduction in the murder rate in Jamaica, forget it! It is time to think of other ways of reducing the murder rate.

It takes far more than pre-election promises to resume hanging in Jamaica. Let us not forget the conscience vote in Parliament on the issue of hanging. It is high time for another conscience vote on this issue. How many Members of Parliament on each side of the House of Representatives support the death penalty? What about the members of the Senate? Where do they stand on this matter?

What about the Bar Association? How many lawyers are willing to allow their clients who have been tried and sentenced to death, to be put to death without doing everything in their power to prevent this unwanted outcome? The lawyers' only role seems to be to protect their clients. Guilt or innocence is immaterial.

If we could get all our politicians and all those involved in the justice system to speak with one voice for the resumption of hanging, we have another hurdle to cross. According to information found at http://www.handsoffcain.org on February 1, the European Parliament adopted a joint resolution in favour of a universal moratorium on the death penalty with 591 votes in favour, 45 against and 31 abstentions. The resolution calls for a worldwide moratorium on executions to be established 'immediately and unconditionally' through a relevant resolution of the current United Nations General Assembly.

Those who are against the death penalty are highly organised and are doing everything in their power to get the rest of the world to see things their way. They have the courage of their conviction. Those who are for the death penalty talk more than anything else. To the best of my knowledge, there is no organised group pressing for the retention of the death penalty.

In light of the above, it is obvious that it takes far more than a simple declaration that hanging will be resumed in Jamaica to make it happen. Hanging is a thing of the past in Jamaica. We will just have to find ways of teaching our people respect for life. Let us get used to the idea that hanging will never be resumed in Jamaica.

I am, etc.,

WINNIE ANDERSON-BROWN

winab@cwjamaica.com

Bagatelle

Ashley P.A.

Clarendon