Johannesburg - Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Ronald Lamola said there is “no credible evidence” to suggest that the death penalty is more effective at deterring criminality than long prison sentences.
The minister said this during his address at the 13th International Congress of Justice Ministers in Rome on Wednesday.
He said countries that have death penalty laws do not have lower crime or murder rates than countries without such laws.
“Where the death penalty has been there, there have also been no significant changes in either crime or murder rates. As we gather here today, there is consensus that state-sponsored vengeance in the form of the death penalty does not alter society. If anything, it makes the world even more violent and inhumane,” he said.
Lamola added that South Africa has taken the stance of affirming the right to life in the country’s extradition and mutual legal assistance frameworks.
“Our Extradition Act … makes it clear that where an offence is punishable by death or any other inhumane or degrading punishment under the laws of the requesting state … South Africa will be obliged to engage the requesting state to provide assurances that the death penalty or other inhumane or degrading punishment will not be imposed, or if imposed, will not be carried out.”
“We believe that this approach will enable us to not only uphold a human rights culture in the world, but ensure that our commitments in forums like these and in other multilateral institutions are credible and continue to spread,” he said.
Lamola also said that the role of the justice system was not the pursuit of vengeance but justice.
“Justice does not only judge the person before the court; it adjudicates the actions of society as a whole.
“Therefore, the ultimate solution in addressing the harms that criminals accrue to society is not limited to afflicting a consummate response on the perpetrator, but also helping society understand why our communities produce individuals who are of this calibre,” added the minister.
The Star