Justice Minister Rayburn Blackmoore not ruling out the ‘death penalty’ to help the fight against crime

Justice Minister Rayburn Blackmoore is not ruling out the ‘death penalty’, as one of the tools to help the fight against crime.
 
Blackmore made that statement at a press conference on Friday, in light of significant numbers of reported crimes on the island in recent times.
 
Blackmore’s argument is that “I also am a strong believer that once someone deliberately takes somebody’s life, and it is premeditated, that person has forfeited his or her right to life, and it is left to the state, once due process has been followed, to decide what happens to that person, so the issue of the death penalty is not something we should rule out”.
 
He added, “going forward, I think we have to ensure that the law in itself has sanction, and of course, the law has sanction when persons who are found guilty, get sentences that actually suit the actual crime.”
 
Blackmoore also expressed sympathies to the family and loved ones of the individuals who lost their lives this year.
 
He continued by saying, “we have to become much kinder and gentler as a small nation, and we have to start actually looking at the issue of sentencing. I believe that the sentence must suit the crime.”

Meanwhile, Blackmoore says there are too many nuisance issues within the capital city of Roseau.
He says new units within the force have been created to deal with issues of traffic and other matters.

Minister for National Security Rayburn Blackmoore
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Blackmore described 2016 as a challenging one for his Ministry, as Government tried to ensure that Dominica remains a peaceful and safe environment.