Hewitt warns against ‘passing the buck’ on hanging

A prominent religious leader says any move by the government to have a national referendum on hanging would be considered as passing the buck of leadership.



Former president of the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, Reverend Roderick Hewitt, is the latest church leader to join the debate on capital punishment.



According to him, it would be unwise to put the decision of whether to resume hanging to a referendum.



Reverend Hewitt, says he does not support the call for the resumption of hanging as a way of stemming the country’s staggering murder rate.



He says there are too many flaws in Jamaica’s justice system for such a move to be considered.



Reverend Hewitt says state sanctioned killings also go against the principle of the right to life.



According to him, the government should instead focus its efforts on introducing proper deterrents and strengthening the rehabilitation system.