Alternative penalties must be equivalent to offences committed - lawyer

The abolition of the mandatory death penalty requires Parliament to amend existing laws to create alternative punishments for offenders, a legal practitioner said.

Describing the decision as an opportunity for offenders to change for the better, lawyer Ahmad Shamil Azad Abdul Hamid, however, said the alternative punishment should commensurate with the offence committed apart from being able to serve as a deterrent.

“For serious offences, a long prison sentence is an appropriate substitute, especially if the sentence has whipping added.

“On average, offenders accused in court are...