Is hanging the answer to society’s problems?
By Leela Ramdeen, Chair of The Catholic Commission for Social Justice (May 2003)
Archbishop’s House, 27 Maraval Rd., POS
The recent poll conducted for the Sunday Guardian by the UWI Psychological Research
Centre (between April 16th to 19th, 2003) to assess popular opinion on crime highlighted
the fact that 62% of the 500 respondents (18 years and over) thought that resumption of
hangings will reduce the rate of murders, while 56% thought hanging would reduce the
rate of other serious crimes.
Significantly, 76% of respondents feared becoming a victim of crime and the same
percentage were either unsatisfied or very unsatisfied with the way the police are dealing
with the crime situation. 73% were either unsatisfied or very unsatisfied with the way the
Government is dealing with the present state of crime.
This year the Catholic Church is celebrating 40 years of the publication of Pope John
XX111’s encyclical to all people of goodwill, entitled Peace on Earth. In it, he stated that
Love, and not Fear, should dominate relationships. In the midst of fear and with little or
no tangible signs of effective Crime Prevention Strategies, it is quite likely that some
individuals will call for certain offenders to be hanged. However, as one of my
Commissioners stated:
“It is really a sad reflection on TT and us in particular who claim to be law abiding
citizens that the state of crime prevention and enforcement of the law is such that the
general public senses that it is only by hanging that we can send a message to the
criminals that the law in TT is being enforced. Each of us must therefore see ourselves as
part of the problem and therefore part of the solution.
One of the real problems in our society is that there is no sense of discipline and this
permeates all strata of society. We need to introduce zero tolerance and that cannot be
achieved unless the critical mass of law abiding citizens, ensure that none of our actions
fall within the category of even petty crimes, for example, our road behaviour, thus
creating a more disciplined society and freeing up the police to concentrate on serious
crime.”
Should we rely on capital punishment to provide solutions to the many complex problems
that we face in contemporary society? I realize that the morality of capital punishment is
controversial. However, it may be worth reflecting on the Catholic Church’s position on
this issue.
In the past, Catholic teaching permitted the taking of life in certain exceptional
circumstances, such as self-defense and capital punishment. In the face of a world
community that is growing more violent with every passing year, the teaching against
taking lives has been strengthened and exceptions made more restrictive.
Thus, while the Church has not denied its traditional position that the State has the right
to employ capital punishment, many Catholic Bishops, together with Popes Paul V1 and
John Paul 11, our current Pope, have spoken against the exercise of that right by the
State.
Simply stated, Catholics are devoted to defending life. Our view is that capital
punishment only serves to inflame the culture of violence that is already too prevalent in
society. Violence begets violence. As the US Catholic Bishops have stated in their
document: “Confronting a Culture of Violence”:
“Increasingly, our society looks to violent measures to deal with some of our most
difficult social problems…including increased reliance on the death penalty to deal with
crime…Violence is not the solution; it is the most clear sign of our failures…We cannot
teach that killing is wrong by killing... We cannot ignore the underlying cultural values
that help to create the environment where violence grows: a denial of right and wrong,
education that ignores fundamental values, an abandonment of personal responsibility,
an excessive and selfish focus on our individual desires, a diminishing sense of obligation
to our children and neighbours, a misplaced priority on acquisitions, and media
glorification of violence and sexual irresponsibility. In short, we often fail to value life
and cherish human beings above possessions, power and pleasure…A consistent ethic of
life remains the surest foundation of our life together.”
Pope John Paul 11, speaking in St. Louis USA in 1999 called for “consensus to end the
death penalty, which is both cruel and unnecessary.” Our Catechism states that the death
penalty is permissible in cases of “extreme gravity” (No2266), while also stating :
“If bloodless means are sufficient to defend human lives against an aggressor and to
protect public order and the safety of persons, public authority must limit itself to such
means, because they better correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good
and are more in conformity to the dignity of the human person.” (No. 2267).
Since the publication of the Catechism, Pope John Paul 11 has clarified the teaching
further for his global audience. In the strongest papal denunciation of the death penalty,
he writes in his encyclical, Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life) (1995):
“…the nature and extent of the punishment must be carefully evaluated and decided upon
and ought not go to the extreme of executing the offender except in cases of absolute
necessity: In other words, when it would not be possible otherwise to defend society.
Today, however, as a result of steady improvements in the organisation of penal system,
such cases are very rare, if not practically non-existent.”
The US Bishops urge all Catholics to “join organizations that work to curtail the death
penalty…and those that call for its abolition.” (Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and
Restoration, US Catholic Conference, 2000).
Capital punishment undermines the sacredness of human life. It fails to combat crime
effectively and does not contribute to building a society that is crime-free. There is some
doubt as to whether it helps the victims who survive or mitigate the loss of those who do
not. It does not restore the social order breached by the offenders. I know of no evidence
that the death penalty has, in fact, deterred violence and crime.
Of great significance is the fact that it often falls disproportionately on the poor. Many
believe that capital punishment is for those who have no capital. Also, it is not imposed in
a way that prevents the execution of possibly innocent persons. In light of the above, we
do not believe that the circumstances of our day provide sufficient moral justification for
the death penalty.
In the face of brutal and senseless violence inflicted upon innocent citizens, justice is a
legitimate desire. No responsible citizen can ignore society’s grave social problems; its
need to defend itself from violence and to uphold the value of the lives of citizens. We
need to provide for the safety of the public, but not at the sacrifice of the values we seek
to protect. What we should be addressing is: “What is the most adequate, equitable and
effective manner in which to deal with the culture of violence that confront us?”
Catholics believe that justice cannot be achieved through vengeance. More humane and
effective methods of defending society exist and should be used. It may be that extended
and even lifelong imprisonment of some criminals is a possible alternative but even this
idea must not be taken in isolation from a consideration of the need to reform our judicial
and penal systems, in isolation from the climate of violence glamorized in films and the
media, and in isolation from the social conditions which breed crime and violence.
Let us foster an ethic of respect for life and build a society that respects, affirms,
enhances, and promotes the dignity, worth and potential of every human person.