By: Garfield L. Angus
October 27, 2026
The Caribbean stands at a profound legislative and moral crossroads regarding capital punishment. For decades, the region has maintained a complex relationship with the death penalty. While many Caribbean nations retain hanging on their statute books as the ultimate penalty for murder, executions have largely stalled amid lengthy appeals, constitutional challenges and international human rights concerns.
Yet, as communities grapple with violent crime, public discourse frequently returns to retributive justice. However, the psychological suffering associated with prolonged death-row confinement, including cases such as that of Christina Pike, underscores the need for a more humane and evidence-based approach to State punishment.
The central question is not whether individuals who commit murder should be held accountable. They must be. Rather, it is whether the State should retain the power to take human life when alternative penalties can protect the public and ensure justice. This is a question of law; morality and the kind of society Caribbean nations wish to build.
The death penalty carries consequences beyond the sentence itself. The phenomenon known as the “death row phenomenon”, in which prisoners spend years or decades awaiting execution amid uncertainty and isolation, can cause severe psychological distress to inmates and their families. Such conditions raise serious concerns about cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and the moral authority of Governments that administer punishment in the name of justice.
International human rights principles provide a foundation for examining these concerns. The Preamble to the United Nations Charter reaffirms “faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person”. Although the Charter does not expressly prohibit capital punishment, its commitment to human rights offers an important moral framework for assessing the exercise of State power.
Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” Article 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights further requires that persons deprived of their liberty be treated “with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person”. These provisions do not themselves abolish the death penalty, but they reinforce the obligation to examine the treatment of prisoners and the conditions under which sentences are carried out.
The claim that executions reliably deter murder also warrants scrutiny. Research has not established conclusively that the death penalty reduces homicide more effectively than long-term imprisonment. Violent crime has multiple causes, including illegal firearms, organised criminal activity, socioeconomic disadvantage and weaknesses in policing and prosecution. Governments seeking lasting reductions in violence must therefore invest in crime prevention, effective investigations, witness protection, education and social services rather than rely on the severity of punishment alone.
Proposals to televise executions or turn State-sanctioned killing into a public spectacle would take the region in a troubling direction. Such measures risk normalising violence rather than strengthening respect for life. Justice should serve public safety and accountability, not become entertainment or an instrument for satisfying public anger.
The debate becomes particularly urgent when considering young people who enter the criminal justice system after experiencing severe childhood adversity. Some have endured neglect, sexual abuse, domestic violence, abandonment, poverty or inadequate access to education and psychological care. These experiences do not excuse murder or diminish the suffering of victims and their families. However, understanding the circumstances surrounding offending can help identify opportunities to prevent violence before it occurs.
Should society treat young people humanely when they have themselves been victims before becoming offenders? The answer must be yes. When abuse goes unreported, trauma is ignored and children are denied protection, the institutions responsible for their welfare must examine their failures.
This does not mean the State automatically bears legal responsibility for every subsequent offence committed by someone who experienced abuse. It means that Governments must acknowledge how failures in child protection, education and social support can contribute to vulnerability and invest in early intervention. Accessible counselling, effective child-protection systems, educational opportunities and specialised juvenile justice services can help prevent some young people from entering cycles of violence.
Religious teachings also offer important perspectives on the relationship between justice and compassion. In Luke 6:36, Jesus instructs: “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.” Micah 6:8 calls people to “do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God”.
The Quran similarly emphasises mercy and human worth. Surah Al-Anbiya, 21:107, describes the Prophet Muhammad as being sent as “a mercy to the worlds”, while Surah Al-Isra, 17:70, declares that God has honoured the children of Adam. Although translations vary, these passages affirm the importance of treating humanity with compassion and respect.
These teachings do not require societies to overlook serious crimes. They challenge Governments to ensure that punishment remains proportionate, lawful and free from unnecessary cruelty. Compassion for offenders can coexist with justice for victims, provided that public safety and accountability remain central.
Moving away from capital punishment would not mean allowing violent offenders to walk free. Long-term imprisonment, appropriate security measures and carefully designed rehabilitation programmes can protect communities while preserving the possibility of reform. Any changes must also safeguard victims’ rights, provide support to bereaved families and ensure that serious offences attract proportionate consequences.
The Caribbean must also address the structural conditions that allow violence to flourish. Illegal firearm trafficking, organised criminal networks, youth unemployment, educational disadvantage and underfunded social services require sustained attention. Governments should strengthen forensic capabilities, improve witness protection, support victims and ensure that investigations and trials proceed efficiently and fairly.
The risk of judicial error presents another serious concern. Courts are human institutions, and wrongful convictions can occur. If new evidence emerges or serious procedural failures are uncovered after an execution, the punishment cannot be reversed. This irreversible consequence demands exceptional scrutiny of any justice system that retains capital punishment.
The Caribbean has an opportunity to demonstrate that public safety and humane justice can advance together. Its experience of overcoming historical injustice provides a foundation for reconsidering punishments inherited from earlier legal traditions and developing approaches suited to contemporary human rights standards.
Abolishing capital punishment, alongside credible public-safety measures and effective alternative sentences, would mark a significant shift towards a system focused on accountability, prevention and proportionality. Governments must confront violent crime decisively, uphold victims’ rights and ensure that offenders face appropriate consequences without abandoning the principles that give justice its legitimacy.
The true test of justice is whether a society can protect its people, hold offenders accountable and uphold the rule of law without making irreversible punishment its ultimate expression of authority. The Caribbean should seize this opportunity to build a justice system that prevents violence, supports victims and safeguards the principles of humanity on which lasting peace depends.
(Garfield L. Angus is a Senior Journalist based in Jamaica.
He is also a Governor General’s Achievement Awards (GGAA) Recipient.)
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