The Editor, Sir:

In Antonn Brown's letter, published on November 19, 'It is wrong to kill people who kill people to show that killing is wrong' he stated that frustration may be a natural response to the violence and disorder in contemporary Jamaica. Nevertheless, the debate on resuming capital punishment is a result of the Government's inability to deal competently with crime and violence, rather than the idea that capital punishment is a reasonable way to solve violent crime.

Not a justified means

I strongly agree that capital punishment is not a justified and effective means of addressing violent crime. I also have the same opinion that killing a person who has killed another is not the answer to crime in Jamaica. However, I also think that letting a murderer live free, who has taken the life of an innocent person, is definitely not what Jamaica wants.

While I agree with Brown when he said that capital punishment is more based on revenge than retribution, and that it is barbaric, I don't believe that capital punishment should be rejected as an unacceptable means of obtaining justice. However, the matter needs to be handled with care because of police corruption and incompetence which may lead to innocent persons being sentenced to death.

I am, etc.,

ROXANNA CHANG

rx_chang@yahoo.com