In "Human rights in paradise" (11/28/08) Peter Espeut writes: "If the fear of being shot down in the streets by the police is not deterring murderers, I cannot see how the fear of being ... hung is going to deter anyone ...".

All, even Mr Espeut I suspect, would admit crime would be far worse without the police, meaning that, of course, the police deter some criminals, including murderers, just as the prospects of harsher punishments do.

No one has any illusions about the magnitude of the problem and that many different tactics must be implemented and be successful to get things under control. The death penalty is only one small piece of the larger social and criminal justice solutions.

The conscience vote on the death penalty was a moral statement that some crimes are so horrendous that the criminal should not be allowed to live. In addition, by both enhanced deterrence and incapacitation of executions, more innocent lives will also be saved. That is enough.

Mr Espeut's invoking that Nelson Mandela abolished the death penalty in South Africa will have none rethinking their vote in Jamaica, unless they voted against capital punishment. Mandela's strategies, however, did nothing to curb the incredible violence still plaguing that country.

I am, etc.,

DUDLEY SHARP

e-mail sharpjfa@aol.com

Via Go-Jamaica