By Binta Jaiteh
Veteran journalist, Alhajie Yorro Jallow has argued that restoring death penalty is not the answer to rising murder cases in the Gambia.
He was reacting to calls made by Hon. Almamy Gibba who recently proposed in parliament for the restoration of death penalty as a way of checking against rising murder cases in the country.
In a statement issued out recently, Mr. Jallow argued that capital punishment had failed to reduce murder cases in The Gambia and elsewhere.
He noted that former President Yahya Jammeh reinstated the death penalty during his rule, but killing rates did not decline.
According to Jallow, the proposal to restore capital punishment revives what he described as a failed authoritarian approach to crime prevention.
“From Jammeh’s Gambia to Texas, the world’s execution capital, the evidence is unequivocal. State killing has never deterred murder. What reduces violence is not brutality from the state, but justice, fairness and social stability,” he observed.
Jallow argued that public outrage following violent crimes, particularly the killing of young people, should not determine criminal justice policy.
He maintained that death penalty has neither prevented murder in The Gambia nor significantly reduced violent crime in countries where it remained in force.
The journalist recalled that former President Dawda Kairaba Jawara abolished the death penalty in 1993 before it was reinstated by Jammeh after the 1994 military takeover.
He said promises that executions would deter crime were never realized, noting that violent crimes and politically motivated killings continued during that period.
Citing the experience of the United States, particularly Texas, he said available evidence did not support claims that the death penalty served as an effective deterrent to murder.
Instead of restoring capital punishment, Jallow called for greater investment in effective policing, speedy and fair trials, youth rehabilitation programmes, mental health services, community safety initiatives and economic opportunities.
He added that life imprisonment should remain available for the most serious offences while efforts focus on addressing the root causes of crime.
According to Jallow, the death penalty fails as a deterrent because offenders generally do not expect to be caught when committing crimes.