Poll Shows Growth in
Favour of Death Penalty
and Lynching and Torture
of Criminals
A recent poll by Unimer
for the daily Spanish
language daily La Nación
says that more than half
of Costa Ricans favour
the death penalty and
lynching, while a third
of those polled support
the idea of killing
relapsing criminals and
for police use torture.
Although support is
growing for solutions to
fighting crime, the poll
reveals the propensity
of Ticos to take the law
into their own hands.
Take the case of last
Thursday when neighbours
of urbanización Siglo
XXI, in Limón, beat up
an indigent of the area
who was attempting to
break into a home.
Acts of vigilantes are
not isolated cases, like
the actions of residents
of Venecia, San Carlos,
who got tired of the
courts constantly
releasing known
criminals and the case
in barrio Juanito Mora,
Puntarenas, in November
when a group beat a man
who suspeced of stabbing
a nieghbour.
The Unimer poll clearly
shows a growth in
violent reactions by
Tico against criminals
when compared to a 2004
reported of the
Venciendo el temor del
Programa de las Naciones
Unidas para el
Desarrollo (PNUD).
The poll took into 1.220
responses from people
all over the country
between March 8 and 15
with a 2.8 margin for
error.
The poll reveals that
51% who responded are in
favour: "Si existe
oportunidad, es mejor
linchar al delincuente
que sea atrapado" (if
the opportunity exists,
is it best to lynch a
criminal caught).
Four years ago the
result was 40%.
In the case of adopting
the death penalty, 54%
responded positively, in
contrast to 47% in 2004,
and 38% are in agreement
with torture being used
on recurring criminals,
compared to only 10%
four years ago.
The poll also shows that
35% accept killing
criminals who continue
to commit criminal acts,
while only 19% were in
agreement in 2994.
Costa Rica abolished the
death penalty in 1882
and is a signatory
country tot he UN
Convention Against
Torture, part of the
United Nations
Agreements on Human
Rights that bans torture
under all circumstances.
The increase in crime
has also obligated Costa
Ricans to take more
drastic security
measures.
The more common security
measures used are
installing bars and
gates, hiring private
security to watch over
their home and
purchasing dogs.
The poll shows that in
four years the security
measures have not
changed much, save for
more communities getting
organized against crime
and more and more people
are purchasing fire
arms. |
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