The Editor, Sir:

Having just read in The Gleaner, Peter Espeut's commentary 'Bucking a Global Trend', I would like to voice my support for the death penalty.

To begin with, I would not be bothered if indeed it should be proven that the death penalty is not a deterrent to would-be murders. It is simply a matter of justice. If you wantonly take the life of a human being then your right to live must be forfeited. There should be no ambiguity about this. As a member of the clergy, Deacon Espeut might reference Romans 13:4: "But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he [the government] does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer".

People who insist that the death penalty is not a deterrent also mystify me. In searching the Internet, one is able to find as many studies that conclude that the death penalty is a deterrent as studies that conclude that it is not. Taken on a whole, these studies are at best inconclusive. Furthermore, a life sentence for murder would be less likely to have a deterrent effect than the death penalty. If deterrent is the goal, locking them up and throwing away the key is not the answer.

If one really wants to discourage the spirit of murder, then what the Government should do is not only hang them, but also do it swiftly and publicly.

I am, etc.,

MARK BENNETT

Bennettdic@aol.com

Bronx, New York

Via Go-Jamaica