How is the death penalty really retribution?

DEATH, it appears, has again robbed us of possibly getting to know exactly how activist Ahmed Timol died at the John Vorster Square in October 1971.

Like some people, I have always advocated the death penalty for crimes that ended in taking innocent people's lives. But this particular event, of Joao Rodrigues’s sudden death, has got me thinking.

The fear of death for any prisoner condemned to die is greatest just before the actual execution. So the actual suffering occurs a short while before death by lethal injection, hanging, or high voltage electricity.

So in what way is the death penalty really retribution? It’s actually the easiest way out for an evil criminal. The alternative is not democratic incarceration because, with the assistance of our Constitution, prisoners receive excellent treatment in jail.

There are free meals, free medical treatment, the opportunity to further their studies and they can even earn a couple of bob. The real prisoners are the unemployed millions outside, who enjoy none of these privileges.

The Constitution has to be altered to squeeze real punishment for prisoners who lost their human qualities a long time ago. They need to be put in shackles and work as hard labourers without any pay and in full view, where possible, of the public.

They should be under strict security, repairing the country, helping with refuse collection, fixing potholes, and cleaning sewers and gutters among others.

The present free holiday indoors is not paying dividends. Somewhere in between these two extremes possibly lies a workable deterrent. Who knows?

EBRAHIM ESSA

Durban