To: Ilaine who wrote (212079 ) 1/8/2007 3:54:14 PM From: Maurice Winn Respond to of 281500 I think it was probably more complex than that: <My husband and I sat up during the death watch with drinks, waiting to cheer. When they finally said he was dead, I started crying, because he got off too easy . > I doubt that was really much of the reason for your feelings. What would you have done extra if you were there and in charge of what will be done? I have pondered that in regard to myself for various hideous criminals in NZ if their victims were my children. I would definitely NOT just have them sitting in prisons, sneering at the world, and even being released after only a few years, to swagger around terrifying the survivors. We have just had a paroled murderer and generally violent person go on an escaping rampage, including shooting and killing another totally innocent person who had the misfortune to come across him during a walk in a forest. nzherald.co.nz He would never have got a second chance if I was the hangman. Public comment is to the effect that when they amputated his leg, they should have done it at his neck. I am not sure that I would flog them, use electric drills etc to torture them or terrify them. Perhaps I'd make the hanging public. They used to hang criminals in Mount Eden prison, in Auckland, which is over-looked by Auckland Grammar School and the boys could gather and see proceedings from the school grounds. I wonder how many boys were dissuaded from repeating the performance. I wonder how many people are dissuaded from crime by the performance. I do NOT believe it increases the rate of crime. I can understand that it would reduce it and especially, it would stop double murderers. But I don't think I'd be inclined to torture them or do the hang, draw, quarter, thumbscrew, rack type punishment. Mqurice