Crime and punishment – then and now

THE EDITOR: There were more than 600 murders in the year just concluded and while it is indeed shocking, reading the comments of supposedly respected people (well at least some of them) one might conclude that they actually sounded elated with the numbers and may even be secretly hoping for (for their own selfish purposes) another horrendous year of murders.

And while the blame game continues just as in every year for the past 30 or 40 years, will it ever dawn on us that the main reason for this continuously rising crime spree is the total lack of punishment befitting the crime?

Being the senior person I am, I would just like young people to know that in my young days, towing (two people on a bicycle) was an offence. Picking other people’s fruits without permission (then unwaveringly classified as stealing) could have seen you brought before a magistrate – because it was an offence.

Stealing just one stick of Caroni Ltd’s sugar cane, then commonly known as “breaking cane,” was an offence, even though there were hundreds of acres of cane all around. Playing card games in the backyard and at the street corner for money was also illegal. Whe whe (now legalised and state-run as Play Whe) was an offence too.

That being said, you can well imagine how crimes like rape, wounding and murder were then viewed. Of course the appropriate punishments for them were then expeditiously applied. We all know (or at least heard) of the death sentence for murder.

In those times, being found guilty of rape, one would, in addition to being sent to prison, be sentenced to a number of lashes with the birch (a type of solid whip or leather strap).

But now that this particular type of punishment is off our law books and the punishment for murder, while still there, is not being carried out for almost 24 years, even though hundreds of murders occur every year (and now the murder accused is able to apply for bail), do we still need to look for explanations for our skyrocketing crime situation?

So, have we lost all human feelings for each other or is it possible that there are people, besides the criminals, who gain tremendously when there’s a crime surge? Because if it is the latter, surely there must be people who can change this.

Like I said, I’m a senior citizen and one of the challenges of this achievement is retaining memories. So, can someone please remind me who sang the calypso with the chorus, “We know, we like it so?”

LLOYD RAGOO

Chaguanas