Ultimate deterrent

10:25am Monday 1st October 2012 in Letters By Reader's letter

IN response to Mr Crisp’s letter (Let’s hang the murderers, Letters, Sept 24).

Is it right to reintroduce the death penalty? I believe it should be introduced.

However, some people seem to see it as retribution, eye for an eye, immoral, but it is without doubt a deterrent whereby if you break the rule of law, you must accept the consequences, harsh as it is.

Over the hundreds of years the people of England have perfected a quality of life the envy of most of the world. But now we have reduced the country into chaos.

Weakness from the top, and apathy near the lower end is no good for the country.

P Richardson, Haxby , York.

Comments(5)

ColdAsChristmas says...
2:00pm Mon 1 Oct 12

'There are no reprieves from the grave.' (Kenneth Clarke MP) Are we talking about justice or revenge? I believe one of the problems we have today are sentences that are too light for those especially at risk of reoffending.
Executing people would be a step backwards but in any case it is a waste of time because it couldn't happen while we are a member of the EU. End of.

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old_geezer says...
5:25pm Mon 1 Oct 12

Just think of all those who have been released, sometimes having served years for a murder that someone else was later found guilty of. Look up Lynette White, for instance - it took 15 years and 3 innocent men in jail before perpetrator Jeffrey Ghafoor was found.

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Seadog says...
8:11pm Mon 1 Oct 12

"Over hundreds of years the people of England (I hope you mean Britain!) have perfected a quality of life (which is) the envy of the world ..."

Perhaps: but, if so, then surely it's our rational objectivity; restraint; quietly progressive attitude to justice and abiding quality of mercy which accounts for it!

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Omega Point says...
9:57pm Mon 1 Oct 12

The stupidity of this letter can be seen in this quote:
"but it is without doubt a deterrent whereby if you break the rule of law, you must accept the consequences, harsh as it is"

If a dterrent works you do not break the law. If you do then it has failed. I will be generous and put this contradiction in terms down to confusion over definitions.

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Zetkin says...
12:00pm Tue 2 Oct 12

17,000 murders a year in the USA suggest it's not all that effective a deterrent.

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