IT was with deep sadness I read the front page headline 'Bring back hanging' (August 23).

This might have been a direct quote from Gillian Chambers, but I think it was an irresponsible act on the part of the Press, and seemingly an example of your clandestine support for the death penalty.

A number of things strike me in this horrific case.

Firstly nobody is evil; people may be nihilistic but this is because they have serious psychological problems.

My second point is that an advanced society shouldn't hang people if it (a) has any concern about getting to further understand the human psyche and what possesses people to commit such terrible atrocities; or (b) has any humanity in recognising the perils of possibly hanging an innocent man in the midst of a febrile public outcry.

Everything happens for a reason, thus there is no point in merely dealing with the consequences of an action. Attacking a police van or campaigning for the death penalty is futile.

If people had really cared about the children's welfare, they wouldn't have waited until something like this happened before showing any concern. Instead, they would maybe have spent time building a local community providing children with a safe environment in which to develop.

This requires both time and money; things that people at a base level aren't interested in giving.

Paul Bramley

Station Road

Eastrington,

Goole.

...TESTING public opinion on the reintroduction of the death penalty, just after the horrific killing of two ten-year-old girls, measures only one thing, blind emotion! Reminding society that the linch mob mentality is far from dead.

Bearing in mind that the alleged murderer of these children has already been placed in a secure mental hospital, this must surely give pause for thought to those prepared to use their God-given reasoning powers.

Is it not more constructive to identify and constrain the potential murderer before the killing takes place, rather than killing the murderer after the victims have died?

While still in its infancy, scientific research has already made significant advances in the understanding of brain function, such as the lack of normal emotional reaction in the brain of psychopaths.

I suggest the Evening Press could better serve its readership and potential murder victims (of any age) by highlighting these discoveries and encouraging us to pressurise governments to increase spending on such vital research.

Derek R Wortley,

Turners Croft,

Heslington, York.

Updated: 10:37 Thursday, August 29, 2002