Letter of the Day | Stand against those who kill children
Published:Friday | November 24, 2023 | 12:06 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
There have been several arguments for and against the issue of mandatory minimum jail time for persons convicted of murder. The minister of justice, Delroy Chuck, is for mandatory minimum, while defence attorneys are opposed to the idea of same. The minister’s argument stands on the premise that longer/stronger penalties will act as deterrence to criminals. The defence attorneys, on the other hand, believe that mandatory minimum will further clog the court system of cases to be tried. This, as accused persons may choose to go to trial, rather than to plead guilty to get a reduced sentence, if there is a mandatory minimum sentencing in place.
It is undeniable that Jamaica has been suffering from a crime pandemic. It has been reported that 25 children have lost their lives this year. Some members of the public have gone one step further to ask for hanging, especially for those found guilty of murdering children.
The public is furious at the notion of criminals being able to afford expensive King’s Counsel attorneys, then plead guilty to get discounted sentences, and in short order are able to carry on their lives. Meanwhile, the families of the victims are left to mourn the loss of their loved ones.
It is not impossible to reduce crime, as other countries have done it, such as El Salvador. Prime Minister Andrew Holness, speaking at a post-Cabinet media briefing recently, talked about the difference between Jamaica’s justice system and that of El Salvador. He mentioned that El Salvador were able to drastically reduce their crime rate, from the highest in the region to the lowest in the region, due to their constitutional arrangements and jurisprudence. Despite the difference, we desperately need to find a way outside of the Band-Aid fix, which are the states of emergency.
The murders of children should touch the heartstrings of King’s Counsel defence lawyers. While all crimes are not the same and countries have their differences, the murder of a child cannot be just a statistic. It must be made clear that Jamaica is strongly against murders, especially that of children.
If our laws need to be changed to facilitate the necessary actions to reduce crime, the political representatives on both sides should cut out the finger-pointing and deal seriously with tackling crime.
HEZEKAN BOLTON