SIR - John Freeman's impassioned missive could hardly be more wrong about the criminal justice system. However, I am sure that I and many others share his concern and frustration at the prevalence of certain types of offending that create so much anxiety within communities.
We are all victims of crime, even if it is only the fear of being a victim. In his recent letter he advocated hanging. Well, the gallows did not deter the Moors murderers (although by the time of their conviction it had been abolished) nor does it deter many spur-of-the-moment killings, or those whose violence is deeply entrenched and pathological in nature. And, executing a person based on a miscarriage of justice is a irreversible catastrophe. This possibility justifiably inhibits the reintroduction of capital punishment.
ANDREW BROWN,
Worcester
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