De Lima opposes Poe, Duterte stand: Death penalty doesn’t deter crime

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima. INQUIRER PHOTO

Former Justice Secretary Leila de Lima opposed the revival of death penalty in the country, which two of the presidential candidates, Senator Grace Poe and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, support.

The senatorial aspirant running under the administration-backed Liberal Party argued that it was never proven that death penalty deters crime.

“The death penalty should be abolished, not only because there is no correlation between this punishment and crime deterrence, but also its effects are basically irreversible,” De Lima said in a statement on Monday.

The former chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said that penalizing criminals guilty of heinous offenses with life imprisonment without parole or executive clemency would suffice.

Saying that even criminals could become productive members of the society, De Lima said it is the duty of the government to guide law offenders to a life of reform.

She cited a finding of the CHR that 52.2 percent of convicted criminals in the death row belong to the lowest social class.

She said most of these convicts cannot afford to hire good lawyers, relying only on the court to give them legal counsels.

“Instead, we need to ensure that the justice system indeed works: by having a truly independent judiciary who can decide on cases with the highest integrity and will ensure a speedy trial, efficient prosecutors who can closely collaborate with investigating bodies and other law enforcement units for a strong case build-up, and a law enforcement sector that will implement the law to the letter, while caring for victims, who were put in jeopardy because of circumstances,” she said. JE

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