NEVER mind the mounting homicide rate and increasing calls for ‘something’ to be done to reverse the slide, the Prime Minister has joined his predecessor Dr Kenny D. Anthony in insisting that hanging will not stop homicides.
Speaking to reporters here earlier this week as the homicide rate surpassed the ‘less than two dozen’ Police Commissioner Severin Moncherry earlier publicly wished his force could keep it at for the rest of 2018, PM Allen Chastanet said he knows that there are conflicting opinions on the subject.
But, he said, “I am not one of those people who believe that capital punishment is going to solve those problems.”
He said the problems of crime and deviant social behavior are more deep-rooted and require a greater intervention.
“That’s why my government is looking at holistic plan towards crime,” Chastanet disclosed.
He said the plan includes improving the justice system and he was therefore “very disappointed” when he offered the court system the Financial Centre building to the justice system soon after taking office, but the lawyers rejected it.
He said attention was then given to putting a temporary facility at Barnard Hill.
However, he said that after the cost estimates increased from US $26 million to US $50 million, private sector involvement was solicited to build new courthouses — and the price tag increased to US $65 million.
He said government could not afford to expend that much and has now decided to build independent court structures, starting with the criminal court now being rented from a private landlord near the Vigie Field, which he described as “grossly inadequate”.
Chastanet said the decision was ultimately taken to move the proposed new police headquarters to Golden Hope at La Toc and demolish the old Castries prison to build the new headquarters at that site.
However, that decision will depend on the outcome of a court case arising from an injunction filed by the Saint Lucia National Trust to stop demolition of the old ‘Royal Gaol’.
The court case is on hold and will resume in October.
Mandatory sentences do not reduce crime.
“………..The Prime Minister has joined his predecessor Dr. Kenny D. Anthony in insisting that
hanging will not stop homicides.”
I do not agree; hanging alone may not stop homicides, but after one or two, it will certainly
send shock waves into the system, but unless he/she is completely nuts, others who do this
strictly through crime, must pay heavily for their crime, by hanging. You kill – You pay by hanging.
I take no joy or pleasure in any one dying in any kind of violent death – but we are a small nation
and these criminals cannot be allowed to ruin the reputation of this Country, and it’s decent people, sorry.
There is an abundance of scientific research to support the notion that mandatory sentences does not deter or reduce crime.
Take all of the scientific research, put them all in a Pipe, smoke them, dump them
or do whatever, what I’m saying is – little St.Lucia is a very small rock sticking out
of the Ocean floor, with a population of + or – 200K people. There’s always a scientific
argument to prove or disprove something. Will people get it that we cannot go along
with the big rich nations to pamper criminals for such heinous crimes against its own.
One of these days when I find the time, I will let you all know why the ban on hanging
begone. Ludovic Kennedy wrote about the great mistake the British Court made by hanging
the wrong man,instead of the culprit, “Christie” a con man, so the Brits ban hanging. I took
it on my own to go visit the location where Christie committed many of his crimes, so we being
under the British system of justice,caved in to their demands;O.K.we love the Brits,but only to an
extent but No. 10 Rillington Place in Nth Kensington, London U.K. still gives me goose bumps. .