Garth Rattray

The vote to retain the death penalty was regret-table but expected. Those 34 parliamentarians who voted in favour of capital punishment must have done so because of their personal beliefs, because their constituents 'demanded' it and/or because the perception out there is that we need to resume hanging as a deterrent.

Additional prevailing opinions are that murderers should be given their just deserts, that we must save taxpayers the expense of paying for their prolonged incarceration and that hanging murderers brings closure to the families of victims. These are all morally weak arguments for the taking of any human life.

When a criminal (intent on murder, rape or on causing serious bodily harm) is killed engaging the security forces in a fire fight or while attempting to commit a violent crime or during the commission of a violent crime, I breathe a sigh of relief because the life or well-being of the would-be victim or member of the police or military was secured.

I wonder

However, when I think of capital punishment, I wonder whether or not the convict is indeed guilty, I wonder if he had sufficient representation, I wonder if he was mentally competent to stand trial, I wonder if it is all about payback (vengeance) and I wonder how societies that profess Christian principles and exalt social values can kill an incarcerated human being.

Many children are born to careless, young and educationally deficient parents. They grow up in abject poverty, experience hunger, fear and many inadequacies throughout their formative years. They are bombarded with and immunised against violent acts that they eventually accept as a 'natural' way of life. Their lack of social amenities and opportunities for advancement leave them feeling hopeless, futureless and abandoned by the rest of society. Non-existent family life leads to coercion into or adoption by a gang and immerses many vulnerable young men into a life of violence and crime.

By choosing to execute (society-spawned) murderers and paying less attention to preventing the manufacture of criminals, we are simply getting rid of the products of our sins of omission. We rationalise it all by choosing to blame 'badness' and 'poor choices' for a life of crime, while absolving society of its responsibility to each and every citizen.

Luck of the draw

Who will cast the first stone? Can he swear that he or members of his family would not have ended up carrying a gun and harbouring murderous thoughts under identical familial and social circumstances? Will he know who is truly to blame for the antisocial and morally decrepit young man waiting for that trapdoor to open with a noose around his neck? Would he pull the lever on his own wayward son? Some of us will be born into responsible, loving and supportive families, and grow into decent citizens, while others will not; and instead, perhaps, end up hanging from the neck until dead - therefore, will it all come down to the luck of the draw?

Neglected their rights

So, we're going to extol the sanctity of life by killing the incarcerated convicted killers from a society that neglected their right to proper parentage, neglected their right to a safe, clean and secure community, neglected their right to equal opportunities and neglected their right to a bright future by not doing enough to secure them.

The least that we can do now is to ensure that no one has to be hanged. We need intensive community policing and social intervention and every child's progress should be frequently monitored by the state.

Dr Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice. Feedback may be sent to garthrattray@gmail.com or columns@gleanerjm.com.