QUESTION OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

Grey River Argus, 11 October 1949, Page 3

QUESTION OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

The Prison Officers’ Association in a memorandum presented to the Royal Commission inquiring into capital punishment said there was considerable support among prison staffs for the view that there should be degrees of murder to be determined by the judge. They commended that a second murder committed by a life-sentence prisoner should inevitably involve capital punishment. Most prison officials favoured retention of capital punishment and felt that hanging as humane way of execution as circumstances permit.

Because of heavy strain on both the prisoner and his “death watch” guards, however, the officers felt that the period between the sentence and the execution should be kept to a minimum.

A memorandum from the police superintendants of England and Wales stated no police superintendent was in favour of abolition of the death penalty, but several felt there was some argument for degrees of murder.