Death penalty vote today

Parliamentarians are to say definitively whether they want to retain the death penalty for capital offences when they make a conscience vote on the issue this afternoon.



The parliamentarians have been debating the issue since last week.



Yesterday, there was lengthy debate on the matter with both sides of the house giving compelling arguments for their stance on the issue.



The vote will take place today after Prime Minister Bruce Golding closes the debate.



Based on the presentations made yesterday, it appears an overwhelming majority of parliamentarians favour keeping the death penalty.



In fact one parliamentarian, Member of Parliament for Eastern St Andrew, Dr St Aubyn Bartlett even offered to carry out the executions.



However, most parliamentarians appear not to favour hanging.



Opposition Leader, Portia Simpson Miller and other parliamentarians have proposed the use of lethal injection and the electric chair in carrying out the punishment.



However, former national security minister Dr Peter Phillips has indicated that he will vote for Jamaica to abolish the death penalty.



Phillips says the death penalty is not the answer to Jamaica’s crime problem.



According to him, the severity of the punishment is not in and of itself a deterrent.



Meanwhile, MP for St Catherine South, Fitz Jackson seems set to abstain from the vote.



According to Mr Jackson, he is finding it difficult to reconcile a conflict between voting according to his conscience and voting as his constituents would wish him to.



More than 1,400 people have already been murdered in Jamaica this year.