The butchery of the poor guest-house owner of Roches-Brunes adds one more heinous deed to our list. Though violence is an international and timeless phenomenon, it is not an unavoidable one. Some countries like Singapore have succeeded in keeping it in check.

While there are many reasons, which may lead to a criminal act, it is worth asking ourselves what goes on in the mind of someone who is going to commit a crime. What makes him cross the line and better still what could have prevented him from doing so?

Victims of murders die in the most unexpected and cruel manner. Shutting one?s eyes for a moment and imagining the pangs undergone by Mr Ramiah confronting his executioner gives one a tiny, yet such frightening taste of it, that one just wants to reopen one?s eyes as rapidly as possible, to chase from one?s mind the idea of such a tragedy happening to oneself and one?s family.

Victims' parents and surroundings suffer a lot too. The sight of a loved one lying in a pool of blood desperately fighting for his life is not easy to forget. It haunts the mind, sometimes for a lifetime.

Victims of crime have as much right to respect and justice as they had the right to a peaceful life before they were hit. Overfocusing on the rights of criminals in the media may have an undermining effect on the perception of victims' rights.

Additionally while human rights are intended for the whole of humanity, making a propaganda out of criminals' welfare and rights might send the wrong signal, suggesting that they can escape from their misdeeds.

It is laudable to treat wrongdoers humanely but it is not necessary to shout it upon the roofs so the latter may be tempted to say: ?Let?s do it, after all, there are people out there watching for our welfare and in case our rights are breached we might be transformed into victims.?

Moreover, prison cannot be just another place to be. It has to be dreaded in some respects, only then people will avoid it. Prisoners do have the right to be treated with respect but they must also learn discipline and respect. We cannot make guesthouses out of prisons, nor should we transform them into vice dens, asylums or torture rooms.

We must not miss an opportunity to create conditions unfavourable to crime. Yet if ever someone?s urge to commit a crime is unbearable, there should be some ultimate deterrent before he ultimately crosses the line and that might well be the perception of justice to the measure of his act that he won?t escape from.

<B>Alain Jeannot

<B>Correction</B>

In his letter to the editor published last week in l?express-outlook, Ahmad Macky rightly pointed out that the attorney general, Rama Valayden, met the Director of public prosecutions. However, the meeting was not meant to discuss the Ramlogun case ? as mentioned by the author ? but it rather dealt with the reforms in the judiciary.