PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – The independent, not-for-profit civil society organization, Greater Caribbean for Life (GCL), has rejected a call to resend the death penalty in Trinidad and Tobago to curb the increase in murders in the twin-island republic.
The GCL said the death penalty is “a cruel, inhumane, and ineffective form of punishment that has no place in a civilized society such as our own,” noting that the call by the Trinidad and Tobago business community should be rejected.
“There is no evidence that the death penalty has any unique deterrent effect on serious crime. Research on this matter has revealed that the certainty of being caught, arrested, and convicted within a reasonable time is more likely to act as a deterrent,” said GCL chairman Leela Ramdeen.
GCL said that the last time the death penalty was carried out here was in 1999 and that crime statistics have shown an increase in violent crime, namely murders, here.
“It is plain to see that the evidence only highlights its ineffectiveness,” the GCL said, noting that the London-based Privy Council, the country’s highest court in 1983, ruled in Pratt and Morgan that a period of more than five years’ delay in carrying out a death sentence after conviction, constitutes cruel and inhuman punishment.
GCL said that more than 1,200 persons were waiting on Remand here for their murder trials and was looking forward to the outcome of the regional symposium on violence as a public health issue that ends on Tuesday.
It said several factors contribute to crime and urged CARICOM countries to ensure that their approach to crime prevention and reduction is multi-faceted and coordinated.
“There is an urgent need for a robust, comprehensive, data-driven crime plan that includes evidence-based initiatives that address the root causes of crime and provide opportunities for individuals to turn their lives around or never resort to interacting with criminal elements or turning to crime in the first place,” said the GCL, which groups organizations and individuals in 18 countries.
“The focus for approaching crime and violence in the Caribbean should be on retooling and adopting more modern approaches to policing, crime fighting and other deterrents with emphasis on proper border control to limit the chances of drugs and guns from entering our currently porous borders,” said GCL executive member, Khaleem Ali.
“Holding a “big stick” over the criminal element does nothing to instill trust in the minds of citizens when our detection rate remains abysmally low. It is a mere band-aid that cannot begin to control the blood flow.
“Furthermore, the death penalty has been shown to disproportionately affect marginalized communities and those without access to effective legal representation, namely impoverished persons. This is unacceptable and goes against the principles of justice and fairness<’ Ali added.
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