DEAR EDITOR: Capital punishment is the taking of life. Every time we deliberately take a human life, the life of an unborn baby, the life of an AIDS victim, the lives of elderly men or women, we desensitise ourselves to the sacredness of all human life.

There is, of course, a radical difference between taking an innocent life and taking the life of one who has been tried in a court of law and found guilty of murder beyond reasonable doubt.

Those who favour the death penalty in certain cases argue that it is precisely to protect innocent life that the guilty one should be executed. It is on this point that opposing sides differ most of all.

Those who reject capital punishment argue that executing a murderer for taking an innocent life simply does not protect innocent lives. It simply does not have this effect. However vehemently this point of view is postulated, it has not been substantiated by hard evidence.

What then motivates those who argue in favour of the death penalty if they have no guarantee that killing a murderer will save anyone else in the future? Is it frustration? Is it anger? My loved one is dead, dead at the hands of a murderer.

No one can bring back my love. I am a mother, a father. They have killed my daughter, my son. I am a wife, a husband. They have killed my beloved, my “other half”. I am a widow, who will support me, who will help me rear my children?

Someone must be punished. I must have justice for what has been done to my family. I must have some kind of closure. I can accept nothing less than a life for a life.

Who cannot understand that anger or frustration? I for one have officiated at the funerals of murder victims. I have known their loved ones. I have visited people paralysed because of murderous intent.

For six years, as a prison chaplain, I have worked closely with men and women guilty of murder. I can see, too, that far too little is done for the victims of violence. I can understand why people call for the death penalty.

I am not convinced that killing someone who killed someone else is the way to show that killing is wrong. We cannot compensate for the taking of one life by the taking of another. There has to be a more civilised way to deter violence.

Fr Vincent Travers, OP, Scarborough , Tobago

First off, allow me to say that over the years I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the Catholic News .  I have gone from doing all the activities on the Children's Page to reading and enjoying the other pages now as a young adult. Continue the good work.

I went to Mass the other day and my parish priest made an observation - I think I too made that same observation but dismissed it - but my parish priest brought it home to me.

For Mother's Day we usually celebrate Mary or her mother the good St Anne. Yet for Father's Day, no mention was made of the beautiful St Joseph and indeed he should have been mentioned because he is also (as far as my knowledge serves) the patron saint of work and we celebrated Labour Day on Sunday!

The Holy Family is not complete without St Joseph and indeed he brings into focus the role of a true father. He raised a son who was not his own and loved that son like He was his own. That's a real father. He laboured tirelessly to provide for his family.

We need to remind ourselves of St Joseph 's role. Please, can we mention St. Joseph somewhere?

Shimaune Carter, Holy Trinity, Arouca

By Denise Scott

Thoughts of execution in my head
The whole country wants me dead
Hang them fast and hang them high
Ent?
Nobody spares a thought for me
They want me dead and that's all they can see
I laugh
Because the whole country dealing with anger
Just like me

Yeah I was angry for long and hard
I wanted to kill somebody bad!
I still remember the day that my mother shout….
Get your lazy self out!
I was angry and I was mad
At 15, what choices I had?
Yeah, they want me dead they say?
I glad, let them understand anger my way!

Are you feeling powerless in the crime-ridden country?
Powerless -yeah that was me
You need to blame somebody
Yeah I know you feel frustrated and angry
You right to shout and cry
Tell the government to hang me high
‘Cause sometimes you so angry you want to kill somebody
I know……… Take it from me.
Hang them high you say?
I smile, ‘cause that is retribution my way!