Government senator wants hanging resumed

Government Senator Matthew Samuda is calling for the resumption of hanging amid Jamaica’s rising homicide rate.

He made the call during his contribution to the State of the Nation debate in the Senate this afternoon.

Jamaica ended 2017 with more than 1616 murders.

The murder tally has continued to spiral in 2018, resulting in Prime Minister declaring a state of public emergency in St James last month.

Citing crime statistics, Samuda said it was clear criminals have no regard for life and were wantonly committing murders.

He said a strong message should be sent to murderers.

Although Jamaica has retained the death penalty, it is not being carried out  since February 1988.

This is because of the 1993 ruling by the United Kingdom-based Privy Council in the Pratt and Morgan case.

The Privy Council ruled then that it was inhumane and degrading to hang an inmate who had been on death row for more than five years.

With legal proceedings in such cases typically exhausting that time frame, it’s almost impossible to have death sentences carried out in Jamaica.

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