Capital Punishment

New Zealand Listener, Volume 34, Issue 873, 27 April 1956, Page 30

Capital Punishment

T the beginning of the 19th century, English criminal law allowed the death penalty for over two hundred offences, from regicide to stealing a pocket handkerchief. Since 1838, however, the death penalty has been exacted under ordinary law in England only for murder (with isolated instances of death for high treason), Within .the last century many other countries have abolished capital punishment, except in war time and under martial law; and in those countries that retain it the strict requirements of the law are often unobserved and the need for its retention is often questioned. In England recently the House of Commons voted for abolition or suspension, and here in New Zealand in the near future Parliament will debate the question of abolition. Again we are faced with the query; If capital punishment is to be abolished, what are the alternatives? The common practice is to impose imprisonment for life; "life" being a period liable to various interpretations and once imposed, capable of constant review. In a debate in the English Parliament early last year, the Home Secretary stressed the difficulties of imprisonment as an alternative. His questions were-Where and for how long should the convicted murderer by imprisoned? If he is released, is society safe? And if he is not released, what of his degeneration in prison? The satisfactory answer to these problems, social, economie and humanitarian, lies, perhaps, in the ability of the penal system to reform the criminal, and in the criminal himself-and ultimately, of course, in prevention, An Yeo 2 panel will discuss the alternafive to ca shment in uestion Mark from 2Y. 4YA,. a 30 p.m. on Thursday, Mey Ey p-m., May 4).