Good governance, effective law-enforcement will stop crime growth– not the death penalty

WITH the apparent increase in the trade in illegal drugs and general lawlessness in the Philippines, reinstating the death penalty for the worst crimes has again become a popular topic.

To some extent this is understandable. We are all frustrated by seeing heinous crimes go completely unpunished. Even those who commit the most horrible, shameful acts of brutality seem to have little trouble avoiding ever being called to account for them; and when they are, they can, provided they have the money for it, buy themselves a comfortable imprisonment, complete with amenities such as the latest electronics, pets, a swimming pool, drugs, and weapons – just a few of the many alarming discoveries made during searches of the New Bilibid prison in the past year.