The highlight of this week's parliamentary debate has got to
be the government's proposed alterations to Singapore's legendary mandatory
death penalty. Steps will be taken to refine the Republic’s longstanding
position on the death penalty. Capital punishment will no longer be the
conclusion for certain drug trafficking and homicide cases.
As an advocate for the abolishment of death sentences since
a long time ago, I believe that the law system needs to be flexible in order
for it to function. By granting more discretion to judges, the civil society
will be able to improve in these days of changing societal norms.
But, in serious cases like terrorist attacks where innocent
people are killed because of a stupid decision, judges would still be allowed
to mete out death sentences to the offenders. Such criminals do not deserve a
second chance hence; the death penalty is no doubt compulsory.
The government acknowledges the call for legal reforms and
this is indeed an important first step that was made in the legal history of
Singapore. Previously, defence lawyers seemed hopeless and judges were always
unwilling to sent convicts to the gallows.
However, with the change, lawyers would have the motivation
to work that extra harder in order to prove that their clients do not deserve
death for their offences. Now that the defence can argue more and the judges
are granted more freedom, the justice system can move forward as a whole.
Although the death penalty is still present, I believe that,
ultimately, it will be scrapped within the next decade. This is because death
sentences are not entirely proven to deter crimes more effectively than
alternative penalties.
No comments:
Post a Comment