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 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.

addressing violent crime

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

While I agree with Mr Brown when he said 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

Mandeville, Manchester