National Assembly President Does Not Support Death Penalty
The President of Panama's National Assembly, Jose Luis Varela, said he would be willing to debate the idea of allowing for life imprisonment, but the idea of implementing the death penalty in Panama is not a viable solution to crime in the country. Varela thinks prison sentences are long, but what is needed is "more street work" to combat crime. However, he said the work being done by the police is better and more effective than in the past administration. Varela said this is because the government of President Ricardo Martinelli has motivated law enforcement agents with better working conditions. "I understand the frustration of the president in facing the violent events experienced by the country," he added. Despite everything he said he could not support the death penalty, stating it is contrary to Christian principles and that of being a human being. He argued that capital punishment is prohibited by the Constitution. "Increasing prison sentences might be good, but it must be mixed at the street level with very harsh measures against criminals. We have to give more money to the DIJ and police," he added. Varela said in the past the Panameñistas voted against including the DIJ in the structure of the police, but added that any changes to the existing structure should be proposed by experts in the field of security. He felt that more resources should be assigned to the DIJ, the DIIP, and the National Police so they can better perform their work against crime. He said next week the National Assembly will debate the proposal for a new law that would regulate the "criminal record" which would allow employers who are thinking about hiring someone to find out if the applicant has committed any crime. (Source - La Critica)
Editor's Comment: Some research in the United States has shown murder rates in death penalty states are not generally reduced thanks to the existence of the death penalty. (Source) However the death penalty is a hot-button issue and there's a tendency to twist the math and science on all sides. The counter argument is made well in this article - highlighting the difficulties in comparing jurisdictions with and without the death penalty in an attempt to say if it works or not.
However the situation is different in Panama. Most of the murders in Panama are not "crimes of passion" in which a jealous husband walks in to find his wife bonking the neighbor, but rather executions or assassinations conducted by hardened criminals associated with organized crime and drug traffickers. These are exactly the right people to target with a potential death penalty. They don't kill because they are suddenly angry, they plan to kill and execute their victim in retaliation for business gone bad. If someone is arrested, charged, tried, and convicted of assassinating someone to settle a score for drug traffickers, then I have no problems turning the lights out on that guy. None whatsoever. I support the death penalty and in Panama it is my humble opinion the courts should have it as an option for the worst offenders. But, I don't get a vote. Anyway, it's being discussed but I don't think it will ever actually happen. In this article Varela is signaling he would block any attempt in the National Assembly on moral grounds, so the issue is a non-starter. Whatever - life with no parole in a hell-hole works just as well...
