How much of a deterrent can hanging be considered, and how do the majority of Dominicans feel about the practice which although still legal, hasn’t been implemented for well over 30 years now.
DNO took to the streets of the capital city Roseau on Wednesday to get a sense of how members of the public feel about hanging.
“I say reinstate it, I say hang them, I say make them pay for their crime,” one lady insisted.
She added that she believes in the bible which preaches an eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth.
“Crime is escalating in Dominica and nobody is doing anything about it, the police should be better equipped, magistrates should give harsher sentences and I say if you kill you get killed,” she said.
Another citizen explained why she does not believe in capital punishment.
“It is way too easy, somebody who commits a crime should be made to pay for it slowly. So throughout their life they should be made to work very very hard and should suffer”.
According to that individual “they should be tortured the same way they tortured members of the family of the person that they killed.”
One young man made it clear that he was against hanging.
“I’m against it because you never know I might end up in the same position in the future.”
The women on the streets of Roseau have not been shy about expressing their views on the matter.
One, taking an anti-hanging stance, said “I am not in favour of bringing hanging back because I am certain that it will bring a curse to the country. Whenever a hanging is taking place the weather is dark so I think life imprisonment is better.”
One man based his support for capital punishment, hanging in Dominica’s case, on the bible.
“I think it’s necessary, because even the bible talks about that when you take someone’s life you are liable to lose yours too.” He said.
have a refrerundom and the majority counts that true democracy
the people chose
I base my views on the bible, and the escalating rate of crime on our island. I believe the death penalt in itself is a sure detterant for more murders. Though there will always be crime, and murder will not cease, some people will become more tactical in the way they plan there murders, so that they won’t get caught.
The bible states that if you shed a mans blood, by man shall your blood be shed (any fool can understand what God meant). We need to really sit down and try to understand, because we will never fully understand the pain and sufferings that people who have lost their loved ones are STILL going through. The hurting never ends. Think on that. I do have brothers, nephews, uncles, and even a son. I keep talking to my boy and praying that he does not fall on that path. I always offer him up to the Lord, since he was given to me by God for a purpose. It would kill me to see him or any of my male family and friends find themselves in this situation. The whole topic is something that must be discussed in depth before arriving at any final decision.
I heard the food bill in the prison is 64000 a month. I heard that on the radio yesterday from the DPP
dominica need to get forensic eveidence to prove the guilt before they start hanging, so no innocent soul gets hanged, as we know how dominicans like to talk nonsense some times…..
I long for the day when Dominicans will stop quoting 2000+ year old laws and actually approach current discussions with some logic and rational arguments.
And before using yet another Biblical quote to dislike my comment, note that you will only serve to further prove my point.
I must say I am on the fence on this matter. For it is a very serious issue and should not be taken lightly. I believe that hanging will deter some criminals, (not the TRUE CRIMINALS at heart), but the ones thinking about committing certain crimes from actually going through with it.
I have read some of the comments and this is something that will be done on a case by case basis, not just hang anyone who committed a murder, cause murders are committed in self defense or in the case of a battered woman.
Reinstating hanging should be done as a last resort, there are still many other elements which the government and the court system can implement including harsher punishments. I laugh when I see some of the imprisonment times that some of these guys get. 14 years for a murder, really, you robbed someone of their entire life, and all you get is 14 years. Take a sec. and think about it. if you do the crime at 25 you still out before you turn 40. Shaking my head at that. Dominica laws were created when Dominica and the World were completely different and the laws should be amended to deal with these trying times.
i agree and not forgetting that a day and a night is seen as 2 days in the law…which means 14 years is really 7.
I say hang the murderers, castrate the rapist, and cut the hands of the thieves and restore law and order to our beautiful Dominica.
I am a Muslim and I disagree with you. We have the toughest punishment in the world for criminals, however, there are too many elements unaddressed in the D/A society to implement capital punishment.
i believe instead of hanging give them life imprisonment. this is an easier and better way. put them in a special cell,wall all around and no lights
Someone has to do the hanging- how will that person live with themselves afterwards?
I am a Muslim as well as a law student. In our Dominican context I object to the hanging being implemented right now. Capital punishment is supposed to be a deterrent, not to cause more harm than good.
The first reason is the root of criminal activity has not been adequately addressed. The climate of employment, values, strong family structure etc. must be created to deter criminal activity.
Secondly, I believe that people who commit premeditated murder should serve life imprisonment rather than the death penalty. Due to the destructive environment we have created for ourselves, a healthy corrective/counseling environment in the prisons should be of priority. If a man enters a prison then becomes a more hardened criminal then it means that the objectives for going into prison has not been achieved in the first place.
Thirdly, our law enforcement agency as well as our prosecutors do not have the technological resources such as forensics in order to have a more accurate prosecution. When we rely on witness testimony and circumstantial evidence as well as back logging of our cases, this weakens the case.
Fourthly, we live in a small country and whether people want to admit it or not surname still plays a role in the justice system. I’ve seen cases where the economically underprivileged people are given harsher sentences than economically privileged people.
Fifth, it saddens me that people would quote the bible yet have no knowledge and understanding of the cultural contexts and the understanding of these laws in which they were applied. It is appalling that they would use the Old Testament when it suits them however, when other issues are mentioned they yell ‘they are now under the blood of Jesus Christ.’
Lastly, when we have address these issues that festers crime in the first place, then we can implement the death penalty as this time the man or woman raised in our society have no excuse. One may argue that people make choices. This is true however, we must deal with the reality that not every one is strong minded, there will always be weaker minds because we are all uniquely different. Thus, let us create a healthy society and allow the weaker ones access to positivity then we can have an equal playing field.
Well said Dawould!
sam harris..any one who remove the word of god to justify there way, they are part of the anti-christ,,,
Nonsense. You don’t even follow half of what the Old Testament tells you to do. If you did, you would be in jail. (Executing brides who are not virgins, stoning disobedient children to death, murdering entire cities because “god” told you to, etc.)
HMMMMMMMMMMMMM at least someone is sensible!
god put kane in exile plus no one could hurt him but yet on earth the so call authority wants to murder….
wonder what is the meaning for murder???
if u all so read u all bibles as a christian nation could u all plz answer n tell me…what is the meaning of thou shall not kill??? mayb it should say killing is for only those who controls the law n not the ordinary…
i say give them life in prison or even put them in da hole for life but jus like it was wrong for an ordinary man to kill its also wrong for the judge to order a man to b put to death n also for the one who does the killing of the prisoner…
if kane was so close to god n he still killed his brother what make u all think hanging is going to stop killings….if that was the case then great america prison would not b so filled wit murderers
i think it is good to many young men and women think they can take the law in there hands killing people when they hear hanging is back they will think twice the people they kill do they now how the family fill
hello Peeps you all must read your bibles and not part when it suits you. The commandment is dead against kill – Thou shall not kill. Can you use the same thing which is not good to justify what was wrong? It is in the New Testament that Leviticus that an eye for an eye was mentioned. But remember later on the law was abolished and the only begotten son was sent to die for our sins – yes our including those who satan has gone into and used to kill, steal and destroy. WE have only one common enemy “The Evil One” All of us yes all of us. And if we do have open doorways, he will use us to do havoc. WE are all born sinners .. yes all of us. Revelation 21. * says that “but the corwardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually imoral. sorcerers, idolators and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns withfire and brimstone which is the second death”.
All sin is sin. Also you can murder as well in your heart. You hate someone to the extent that you want them hanged this is murder. yes we can be outrageous as to the things that persons do but are we better than them when we put God out of the equation and hate them to the extent that we want them dead. This is also murder as well. Remember Jesus forgave the thief on his side and immediately, he said to him today not tommorow thou wilt be with me in Paradise. We have so many abortions being done. What is that??
God is love and he loves us so much that he doesnot want not one of us to perish (He loves all of us and we are all sinners). Those who murdered could be in better standing than you and I if they are repentant of what they did.
Remember for All ues All have sinned and come short of the Glory of God.
Also the one who has no sin, throw the first stone. Jesus came and we need not stone or hang people anymore.
WE WE all need to repent and pray for one another that we will be at peace in this Nation. Gossiping and wishing others bad is also sin as well.
That was very good, however, I’m not in total agreement with everything.
All sins aren’t the same. If you know your bible, and I think you do, you will recognize that some sins have been called abominations. There are also the 7 deadly sins. This might be a refresher for you.
We all fall short of the glory of God, but look throughout your bible and you will find the punishments vary according to the sins described. I don’t think that wasn’t properly thought through. That’s where the terminology, let the punishment fit the crime originates from.
Jesus died for our sins as a way to guide us back to the Father, but he clearly stated that he didn’t come to destroy the laws of the land, but more so to strengthen the laws of the Father. Neglect of local law was not the intention of the most sacred sacrifice.
That being said I agree that the 10 commandments are the most simple and basic rules to govern our lives and as you accurately mentioned, it states clearly “Thou shalt not kill”.
This is not just a social issue, but a individual, personal, moral question as well.
For now, I stand undecided.
I would like to quote from the bible the verse and book about the 7 deadly sin. Note well the bible not some religious book. I would be very grateful BelzboB so I can read it and learn something. I cannot know everything and this should be the idea – learning from one another. I await your answer.
The irony is you don’t seem to know that 1) the Old Testament cannot be separated from the New Testament, 2) the Ten Commandments are IN the Old Testament (as well as those anti-gay verses you like so much), and 3) Jesus himself said that “not one jot or tittle shall pass from the law until it is fulfilled.”
I’m not religious, and yet I know more than you about your own book. Why is that?
And Dominica: we look bad enough as it is after this embarassing gay cruise ship incident. Becoming an island that hangs people on the street is NOT going to make us look modern or progressive.
where did you learn this
theology?
from back in high school doing a debate on capital punishment. my team was against the idea and this was a major phrase we used as it made alot of sense. why kill people who kill people to show people that killing people in wrong. i have never forgotten the phrase. i still agree to it.
The united states( US )still hangs and they are the most properous country in the world. hang them all and they are no longer walking the streets. If you have an infestion of rodents in your house what would you do? Wouldn`t you get reed of them? Let`s be honest.
i will say the same…”why kill ppl who kill ppl to show ppl that killing ppl is wrong”
are they going to kick the bucket or whatever from under their foot??? NO so that means someone has to do it, does that not make you a murderer too….dont get me wrong i realize the escalation of crime here and i am definitely in favor of harsher punishment…i have always said the law is too lenient on persons involved in crimes especially as it relates to murder.
so are we withdrawing when we deem it murder in self defense? and when its an abused woman who lashes out at her abuser and this caused his death, or stabs him several time which we can rightfully call temporary insanity does that mean we withdraw from hanging.
murder in first degree is that when we hang…
seriously we know for a fact that crime in dominica is not handled in the best manner. we have seen too many persons walk after committing very serious crimes…we know also that a lot of criminals are walking freely because of their affiliations… people they know, family they came from, size of their bank account…are we willing and ready to rightfully say that the LAW is ready to capture the TRUE guilty person…so that we have the right person being sentenced to death?
i think not….a lot needs to be changed before innocent people are being sentenced. And again…who will be the person to inject the poison, turn on the electricity to shock, or push the bucket to hang?
we really need to think this through…Harsher punishment definitely, life in prison i totally agree, hard labor yes all that, no one in prison should be having any easy ride….but DEATH??? are we sure we will be killing the right person for the crime.
just my take. LS
@boi,I don’t think the hanging pertains to self defense murders or battered women..
I believe its for first degree murder, pre-meditated etc..
Something seriously needs to be done about all these unsolved murders in DA..
I am for hanging for the premeditated,first degree murders …My family cannot be grieving..and u are walking free or you sit in stock farm enjoying your free meals on behalf of tax payers money..It’s just WRONG!!!
Hanging wont stop murders but i think it will deter .. People will think twice before committing murder.. I know there are hardcore murderers who will not even care about the hanging..but for the most part it will make people think before they act!!
Yes all those things should be taken in account. We have instances where people have been wrongly convicted. I agree why commit the same sin to show that the sin is wrong. Use murder to show murder is wrong? Come on give me a break. The commandments clearly states “Thou Shall not kill”. In the End the King of King and Lord of Lord will give the appropriate punishment or the individual will walk into their own trap themselves. But for us we have to do what the Father says and let vengeance be his. He asked us to forgive seventy times seventy as well and he also says I will have mercy upon who I will have mercy. let us do what we have directed to do and leave the rest to him – Mercy or vengeance.
My last take on this – Those who have been tempered with mercy by the Father and given second chances should live their second chances for the Heavenly Father. If you violate your chances then you have yourself to blame when whatever happens. Just my take on this.
I MUST SAY,AS LONG AS IT CAN BE PROVEN, GO AHEAD, HANG EM HIGH IN PUBLIC!!!!!!!NOT BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. THERE WILL BE A HUGH DECREASE IN MURDER! THOSE WHO ARE AGAINST, ARE THOSE WHO HAVE MURDER ON THEIR MINDS. A LIFE FOR A LIFE!! FAIR ENOUGH.
This is truly hilarious. Reinstate it “because of the bible” or don’t reinstate it “because of the bible.” Quite aside from the fact that no one seems to notice the contradiction, when are Dominicans going to start thinking for themselves, rather than just vaguely saying “bible this” and “bible that?” You know there’s more to the world than that, right?
Right?
I’m not a local Dominican, but even I can see how outrageously prejudiced and how much of an outside view you have of the people on this island. This may shock you, but the extremely small proportion of Dominicans who happen to use this site, don’t fullt represent the entirety of its population. Just as watching “Jersey Shore” tells you nothing about the average Texan. If you want to talk about religion leading people’s decisions why don’t you talk about potential leaders of the free world Rick Santorum, or Mitt Romney.
What kind of utter moron are you? I am both Dominican and American, and I am well-aware of what goes on in both sides of the world, thank you very much. And if there is nonsense on this site, I have a right to respond to it, even if it is a lunatic fringe (though it is not).
And frankly, Santorum has no chance of becoming nominated. Mitt Romney may hold some disturbing positions, including his questionable stance on the racism of the Mormon church, but he is far less of a madman than Santorum.
Try again, student.
Hanging is barbaric, especially when there is an audience! I don’t believe it is a deterant to crime, but just a show put on for the pleasure of people who enjoy witnessing such things. I think all criminals at this level should be dropped off on an extremely isolated island together and left to live or die by their creativity. They can kill each other off vying for “top dog” position in their isolated circumstance and nobody will have to pay to feed them or give them haircuts or medical care. It must be determined, without a doubt, however, that they are guilty. No mistakes can be made in sentencing anyone to this fate, however. Prison is a waste of time and money but hanging is just a freak show. This is an extreme idea, but it definately would rid society of the horrible ones without having to support them for life.
@fed up….Agree
Well i say hang them. Because is either that or when it happens to those that have means will take justice into their own hands and carry out the capital punishment themselves
I wouldn’t say there aren’t some crimes so bad or some people so dangerous they shouldn’t be left alive.
The problem is I don’t trust a court and legal system to make those decisions. You can’t give a man’s years back if you mistakenly put him in prison for something he didn’t do but you can at least let him out. You can’t do anything to make amends once you’ve executed someone.
We also need to ask what the point of sentencing is. If it is to protect the public, then life imprisonment will do that. If it is to deter others from doing the same thing, well I don’t know if murderers really think about the consequences like that. Not in the “heat of the moment” kilings, usually of people they know. So deterence is an open question for me. Note that many of the countries in the world with the least violence and murder don’t execute people.
Well its about time. It needs to be reinstated,and give these criminals somthing to think about,it may make them thik twice before committing muder.DA is so small and there’s an obviouse increase in crimes in DA and it may just escalate if something is not done about it like now.
Dominicans, listen to ourselves, then ask ourselves where our children learn to kill, we are intimate with the word kill….we use it like salt on our food. yummy!
STARVE THEM AT THE PRISON TILL THEY DIE
THAT’S MORE HUMANE
DNO please, we alll know the lodge mantra that the general population don’t know what good for them, so their must be stewards of the state to make good decisions for the COMMON GOOD….when you ask a half illiterate old lady who is bitter because of the way young girls dressing what answer do you expect?? the way I see it Dominicans don’t know how the issue of violent crime should be properly addressed so they ALL SHOUT HANG THEM!!! their fear is what echoes the most from their empty cries….. you want my opinion????????????? carry out case studies on these violent offenders, help them to address the problem that they themselves have contributed to….WHY ARE PRISONERS NOT DOING COMMUNITY PROJECTS TO GIVE BACK TO THE PEOPLE THEY ROB AND SELL DRUGS TO….THE ANSWERS ARE THERE BUT NOOOOOOOOO ONEEE CARES DNO. that includes YOU, you must see the power that yohold in this medium. for GREAT ideas to contend, but you prefer to stifle those good suggestions and let people who are less in a position to even help themselves come and ring their empty barrels about an eye for an eye……
so you kill the killer, THEN WHAT??????????? DOES THAT BRING THE PERSON BACK?????? INSTEAD OF ONE LIFE LOST NOW TWO ARE LOST??? WHO IS TO SAY THAT ONE REFORMED MURDERER CAN’T INSPIRE OUR CHILDREN TO LIVE BETTER AND TURN AWAY FROM VIOLENCE…..
some say satan cannot correct sin, but I say those who haven’t seen evil and choosen good are easier targets for the devil…
the virgin will lose her virginity to know what it is to have sex….only then she will cry about what she lost……
do you understand……
people need to elevate themselves from these rudimentary, infantile and emotional manner of going about things………
it seems the lodge is right, the general population are like cattle, they never look at the big picture, they are only driven by their individualistic perspective….
live up people, come out of the gutter…
Well said, VIVA.
I concur with you VIVA 1979. It is just a selfish individualistic perspective. Again youshould the same one who say hang them when the shoes is on the other feet and they are the relative etc of the perpetrator. You know. I would all of you to answer if it was someone from your family?
what are we going to use to prove that certain person did the crime will captain punishment be for persons who say they are guilty or eyewitness
It will appear in the open court
I think they should forget about all this hanging. you might be for it and then it is reinstated and one day u end up in a situation where you are sentenced to hang. so let’s just forget about the whole hanging issue. it makes no sense. the commandments say thou shall not kill. so why when they kill you want to hang them? come on now
Same bible you used said in the commandments handed to Israel also in Ex 21 , make sense out of these please .12 “He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death. 13 However, if he did not lie in wait, but God delivered him into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.
14 “But if a man acts with premeditation against his neighbor, to kill him by treachery, you shall take him from My altar, that he may die.
15 “And he who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
16 “He who kidnaps a man and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, shall surely be put to death.
17 “And he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
What a splendid law!
Hmmmm, you sound like someone who is contemplating a crime that would warrant capital punishment, you sound really scared!!