One state attorney’s support for hanging has found favor with a former magistrate who says his views on the matter have hardened because of the rising crime situation.
“It should be retained now, because there are so many murders being committed, the law needs to be more pointed in its reaction,” the former magistrate told Dominica News Online.
State attorney in the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Clement Joseph has given the hanging issue fresh legs – he told DNO on Tuesday that he supports the death penalty as a form of punishment for murder in Dominica.
While capital punishment remains on the statute books, the last person to be executed here was in 1983.
Joseph told DNO “I find it to be an appropriate sentence for the crime of murder”.
He said while he was not advocating arbitrary use of the death penalty, “it is an appropriate form of punishment.”
“I see nothing wrong with it in fact it is on our law books so while we have issues as it relates to persons being on death row for over five years, you can still be sentenced to hang if the crime is of a capital nature,” he stated.
Supporting that view, the former magistrate DNO spoke to on Wednesday said there is need to send a strong anti-murder message “to get the thing through that you must not kill another human being”.
He considers hanging a deterrent, despite arguments to the contrary by rights groups including Amnesty International.
“There are a lot of people who would have hanged but for that, who would have killed but for that,” the former magistrate said.
He believes that a reasonable man who thinks about killing would be deterred because he is aware that if convicted and sentenced to death he could be hanged.
“The execution of the death penalty is quite justified,” he insisted.
“It doesn’t seem as if the no-hanging business is helping us at all,” the former magistrate said.
Yes! capital punishment is the way to go! Make examples of some persons and it will stop trust me!
punishment should be made of those murderes when they kill someone .i belive they should be put to death
In 1983 the hanging of an innocent man took place in dominica the sky became dark,nothing good came out of that hanging thats was the sins of dominica.now let me ask whats the population of dominica? all the people that asking for the death penalty just wait when it happen to one of you or one of your family members accuse of a crime they did not do and they were found guilty.
Do we have to cover our land with more blood? Think objectively people about recompensing murder with murder. How can one justify the condemnation of a wrong act by doing the same act??????
They Should be “Hanged” immedialely.The same day they are found guilty.Dont U think all the murders would stop? Then those politicians who selling our country and committing treason,Firing Squad for DEM.
Common Dominica, do your research before you predict that hanging is going to end crime. If you check the crime rate and statistics for crime and execution you will see that Texas still has a very high crime rate when in fact they are one of the states with the highest execution rate. Hanging does not deter crime!
Look into other factors, from a criminologist point of view. What cause the rate to climb so high, there must be other factors which contribute to this. Deal with the grassroot first. Hanging will not deter crime its just barbaric and it paints Dominica as a third world primitive country that does not know how to deal with its issue. Hanging is definitely not the answer.
Well If Texas has a very high crime rate, FAR WORSE IF THEY DIDN’T HAVE THE DEATH PENALTY
Trust me, the murders don`t want to die. So when convicted send them six feet below ground in a narrow wooden box. Only funeral expenses are required. Tax payers don`t have to support them for life.
HANG THEM HIGH IN PUBLIC AND WATCH THE MURDER RATES GO DOWN DRASTICALLY!!!!!!!!!!
blood lust is a sin people, im gone from this garbage…
BRING IT !!!
Hanging the people who commit murder should be the alternative, any other form of punishment does not serve as a deterrent.
If someone premeditates the murder of someone, and get a life sentence which amounts to twenty-five years in jail, that person can do that time standing on his/her head easily.
If the potential murderer knows that if he/she kills, the only penalty is death, they may think about their intentions, and not wanting to die may cause then not to be so eager to take another persons life.
However, one have to be careful that in a case of self-defense, where an individual may have to use deadly force to protect themselves, and kill someone in the process, they are not hung for defending themselves.
Sometimes when a person is caught in a situation of ” fight or flight;” the persons only alternative might be to kill the person who place them in that situation in order to stay alive.
In a situation like that such defendants should be allowed to walk free once self-defense is proved.
As for the thieves the penalty should be very harsh, the penalty for larceny should start from fifteen years to life!
Even for the first time offender.
Someone who rapes a child, an infant should be hung also, he who rapes a woman should get life imprisonment.
Unless we implement some draconian laws in our country, the situations in Dominica will get worst.
Harsh as my opinions may seem only those people who has lost love ones to murder, and rape can understand why I feel this way.
Be reminded that I lost a nephew in Wesley, to murder, my brother a former Inspector of Police in Antigua gunned down in a candy shop, by four little rats.
My cousin (a child ) was raped and murdered in Antigua, shortly after that my another brother of mine was ran over on the island of Guadeloupe by a drunken woman with her motor vehicle!
Capital punishment is not vengeance as some claims, it’s the ultimate deterrent!
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
Francisco you are walking with hatred in your heart. Yes those are brutal things but I don’t know if you notice but bitterness is holding you down. Let go and let God be the avenger. Vengeance is mine saith the Lord. Capital punishment off course is vengeance the way you state it.
Usually I do not respond to people who are fictitious ; nonetheless I will waist a little time to tell you I am not bitter, I have no hate in my heart.
First of all the animal who slashed my Nephew throat in Wesley might still be alive walking the streets of Wesley ready to kill again!
As for your insinuation that something is holding me back or down, I do not know how you manage to deduce that since you know nothing about my personal live, economic status academic background, nothing you know about me.
So what are you talking about?
I agree with anyone in Dominica who wishes to execute every murder who is found guilty for taking the life of another human.
Sympathize the criminals if you wish, but when they kill you physically, you will be singing a different song!
Hhhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!
Yea, when you are dead you will sing another tune oui!
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
WITH ALL THAT UNSOLVED MURDERS GOING ON IN DOMINICA I SUPPORT CAPITAL PUNISHMENT 100% If it’s self defense, there should not be any capital punishment, but once its with intent or pre-meditated.. there should be capital punishment..families have to grieve the loss of their loved ones and murderers are walking freely..it’s just to unfair..
There are different type of homicides “manslaughter, is the unlawful killing of a human being with or without malice aforethought.This includes self defence,traffic deaths, mercy killings and a few others. One charged with this crime could’nt be given the death penalty when proven guilty.
One charged with murder, which is, the unlawful killing of a human being with malice afore thought killed wickedly or inhumanly,should be given the death penalty of life imprisonment, So there’s no question where one kills another in self defence is going to get life or death penalty
I think that we should implement the death penalty inorder to curb the amount of crimes on our Nature Island
Whenever there is a spike in the murder rate the pro-hanging supporters are willing to put on their hangman’s gown.There is no evidence that capital punishment reduces the murder rate.
as long as the justice system is JUST then the right people, will pay for the crimes they have done
I think if you intentionally take somebody else’s life, yours should be taken away from you as punishment for the crime
THE IDEA IS TO DETER CRIME..THE CRIMINALS IN DOMINICA THEY KNOW THE PUNISMENT IS NOT HARSH SO THEY DONT SEEM TO CARE, BUT IF HANGING WAS THE PUNISHMENT YOU WOULD SEE A SIGNIFICANT DROP IN THE TYPE OF NEW CRIMES THAT HAS BEEN INTRODUCED TO OUR SWEET SWEET ISLAND OF LATE…..HANG THEM I SAY HANG THEM!!!!
I refuse to support the legal system murdering people as punishment on my behalf.
How awful!
when you read in the Bible “a tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye” what do you understand by that,isnt it a life for a life?
Who gives you the right to decide who lives or dies? Yes, we have a problem with crime, but God will pass the final judgement – not you or anyone else. You are not God, and it is well out of your jurisdiction to decide to take another person’s life. An eye for an eye and we’ll all be blind.The death penalty will not help, and I do not want anyone killing people on my behalf. I will never support the death penalty.
Hello there. All of you just talking without thinking. It is ok to give opinion when it is not a member of your family. When the shoes is on your feet. Would not want Mercy to be given to your relative. Please do not be so insensitive. The accused persons also have family members and also children who are hurting as well. And all we can do is talk, talk,talk when we should be praying and praying and defeating the one common enemy we all have “the Evil One”. He is destroying our family and loved ones but we see each other as enemies. We got to repent of our evil ways and evil thoughts and talks as well. God is love and he loves us all the same way and hopes we repent and turn from our wicked ways. Vengeance is his not ours.
Don’t bother about the thumbs down!
so what about the dead victim?dosent he have family and friends too?did the murderer think of his family and friends and granted him(the victim)mercy?hell no!!!!manslaughter as in somebody defending themselves is something totally different but cold blooded premeditated murder is unacceptable.HANG THEM I SAY!!!!
God said so. If a man takes another man’s life without just cause he should be put to death to meet his creator, his final Judge.
another poster put it nicely before, the comment said, we must teach our children to THINK and not ACT out of emotion, and this hanging crap is TOTALLY an emotional response to a problem that can be solved logically, create an environment where young people can thrive and work for what they want, HOUSE, LAND , CAR, CARE FOR THEIR CHILDREN……HAVE A SAVINGS, an environment where the ordinary working man is rewarded better than the scumbag criminal, and that will steer their eyes away from wanting to live the crime life…
but no!! hang them allllllllllllllll till there are no more
hang em…..sooo idiotic
these criminals shooting at police, dont you people think that these people see death as a way out of their circumstances???? well I guess we will just be granting them a favour by hanging them….because when you hop a boat and go into the channel into open water you MUST want to die… I know I did….i didn’t care whether I live or die. we need criminologists and professionals to help us with this. because HANGING WONT SOLVE SQUATTTTTTTTTTTTTT
I totally agree with viva hanging people is not the answer. It doesn’t deter crime. There has to be a better way. Sentence them to life in prison. Don’t let them see the light of day for the rest of their lives. Take away all priviliges no visitations from family memembers and thing of that nature.
I am supporting this…the death penalty is something I never saw as justified. I consider it murder as well…No one has the right to take a life in answer of a life. If there were more servere punishments issues out for the crimes being committed, the death penalty would not even be an issue that would surface right now. People are out on the street within 5 years after brutally taking the life of another. I shouldnt have to see that person again within a matter of fifteen to twenty years or never. We do not need more blood on our hands. Who is going to pull the lever anyway? That man must be a cold blooded soul.
Cover our land with more blood? Think objectively people about recompensing murder with murder. How can one justify the condemnation of a wrong act by doing the same act??????
Man, if you know that you going to hang if you kill another human being, you will think twice and three times before committing yourself to it.
I mean people talking about prison sentence and all that, but I dare say by the number of people we have in prison; prison in itself as a form of punishment is not a good deterent. We need stronger forms of punishment if we are to deter crime. And in my humble opinion, all prison sentences should come with heavy labor too.
What sense does it make to hold a person for the rest of their life clothing and feeding them? If this person have a life sentence then what hope is there for rehabilitation? Give the person what they gave their victim and be done with it. What about the people that kill other people, not for personal reasons, but for the sole reason being that they were paid to do it? Can you imagine a lower human being?
I say the current system we have there not working, bring back the hanging, period.
Oh admin, I do not believe the last execution here was in 1983. I believe it was either 1986 or 87.
I remember seeing them walking the guy to the gallows in a straight jacket. I saw the rope stretched when he dropped and trust me that stayed with me, and was always a form of deterent to me.
I watchin’ still!!!
MAKE A REFERENDUM FOR THE DEATH PENALTY ….DEATH PENALTY CANNOT STOP ANY CRIME BUT IT WILL SURELY DECREASE IT.
NONE THE LESS THERE ARE MURDERS THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION ;SUCH AS SELF DEFENCE AND MURDERS THAT ARE DONE TO PROTECT SOMEONE WHO IS WEAKER;;;;
RAPISTS SHOULD HAVE THEIR PENIS AND THEIR RIGHT HAND CUT OFF.SEE HOW THESE CRIMES WILL BE DECREASED…
Most of the people who have gone to jail and came out have murdered again. If they were put to death via hanging, these extra murders would not have happened.
thank you very much. well put.
Is hanging revenge?
its meant to discourage murders…
how can you discourage something that is not always premeditated.
If hanging is such a deterrent, why do people still kill.
No one has a right to take another life and that goes for the state.
Most people calling for death penalty considers themselves Godly, yet they forget the lord said vengeance is mine.
Which ever way you look at it, the death penalty does not stop killing.
So who is going to judge the judge who’s passing the judgment on the lives of another human being to take away what that human being didn’t give? Man shouldn’t be so inhuman but we should understand an uneducated human has no plans but to survive. you have an educated force it will perform to its best abilities will being innovative. Just educate the force and we shall see the difference on the day to day activities of these humans. Example take a man put him inside for murder and he wishes he never did it. Think of the road that we are about go down ppl.
Well, I am not for the death penalty, but in the light of current events I think we should have stiffer punishments for criminals.
Marijuana users need lighter sentences and the same for hard drug users. The law is the only thing that makes them a criminal. If someone wants to destroy themselves that is up to them, however, if they become a threat physically then the law have to deal with them.
But I am not in favor for hanging. If you kill someone and is proven beyond reason, that person should be killed and and slowly.
The public should pay to view and the person will see the shame which they have brought upon themselves.
One shot in the leg followed by on shot in the hands followed by one shot in the stomach and then finally, one shot in the head!
Give the public a wake-up call
i agree with u that the person should be made to feel some pain b4 death but i still think it will b better to have a little more done not just to muderers but also to those that go around holding up businesses and robbers they must be made to see that they have just 2 booto as we say it and da,chop off the hands
Jeez! Were you brought up under the Hitler or Qadafi regime?
You should visit a shrink real soon..
Dealing violently with convicted murderers may only breed more violence in society. Killing another human person should have no place in our society. I believe in isolation chambers for convicted murderers. That can make a man go insane! Thats what they need. Time alone, to THINK!
The punishment should be commensurate with the crime. I am a proponent of the death penalty. It will deter capital crimes if you use it.
It will also make criminals more DESPERATE, judges, witnesses and lawyers being kidnapped. their family in danger, Dominica have a witness protection program…..if I were on the run and facing the death penalty I wouldn’t care about anybody life, in fact I would make sure I go out with a BANG!!!!!!
extremism against extremism…….fire against fire
FOOLS!
Why should you think that you would be on the run?You would be in solitary confinement. I said bring back the “cat -o- nine”