Quoting James Baldwin in the debate on crime in Guyana

Jan 23, 2016 Letters

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Dear Editor,
In response to the seemingly high level of crime at present occurring in Guyana the government has, predictably, taken steps to improve the capacity of the criminal justice system. As I understand it the Canadians are at present helping our police improve its investigative capacity. Government has promised a significant sum of money for use in efforts aimed at improving the functioning of our courts with special emphasis on the delivery of swift justice. Also there are indications that steps are being taken to improve the functioning of our rehabilitative agencies. While all these are commendable developments it would be naïve for us to feel that an improved and well-functioning criminal justice system, by itself, will lead to a significant reduction in crime.
Here in the USA rehabilitative agencies are generally staffed by well trained professionals who employ the most modern techniques and embrace a variety of well thought out programs. But in a study done by National Institute of Corrections in which the researchers followed 108,580 adults released from prison in eleven (11) states it was found that within 3 years, 62.5% had been re-arrested and 46.8% were reconvicted.  So the uncomfortable truth is that the rehabilitative programs under taken by both juvenile facilities and prisons have not brought us as a nation the results we had anticipated.
So, if the justice system is not have the effect of deterring our young people from becoming involved in crime, then it would seem that our best efforts for fighting crime, is for us to do all we can to prevent crimes from occurring in the first place. To do this we need to first understand what give rise to most criminal activities. In this regard I will focus my attention on street crimes, since these make up the bulk of crime in Guyana and the main source of citizens concern and fear.
Mr. Editor, years ago in a letter appearing in the Stabroek News of the 12th June, 2012, I suggested that much of the street crime in Guyana have social structural implications. Those interested in fully understanding my argument in support of this claim can peruse the above mentioned edition. I argued that generally in Guyana we are all socialized to pursue individual success which is defined as having enough material resources to afford certain things. For example a comfortable home, a fairly modern car, nice clothing, the ability to offer our children the finest possible education and at least one family holiday annually.
This represents the socially acceptable ends that our socialization imbedded in us that we ought to work toward achieving. To achieve this socially acceptable goal the society has identified a socially acceptable mean- a good education, which it (society) hold –up  as essential to citizens being able to gain well- paying jobs, thus being able to afford all the before mentioned things.  However access to this socially acceptable mean (good education) is unequal, since access is determined by wealth and contact and there is usually a relationship between the two.
Thus while youths from poor families are also socialized to value and strive to attain the before mentioned socially approved good, their parents lack the means to send them to the “better schools,” or offer them ‘lessons’ after school.
So the young man deprived of a good education and under or unemployed but is filled with the society’s values can only resort to crime to gain the socially approved good. Almost exclusively when unemployed and underemployed young men choke and rob, hold- up a businessman at gun point, or snatch and run etc, these acts are undertaken with the aim of gaining those socially approved goods they have been taught to strive to obtain.
Mr. Editor let me point out to my beloved county a truth that should make us all uncomfortable. In the years’ immediately after emancipation and with the village movement destroyed by the wicked and malicious acts of sabotage perpetuated by estate owners, hundreds of the ex-slaved moved to the city and later to McKenzie in search of work. However, since the city and McKenzie could not provide jobs for all needing same (a case of too many chasing too few jobs), hundreds of young men were left to aimlessly to wonder the streets of the city. Soon these young ex- slaves had no option but to turn to petty crime for maintaining themselves and families.
They too had been offered a definition of the socially acceptable goal and yearned to achieve some of it (the immediate one being able to feed one’s family). However, they were just like their descendants; not allowed access to the socially acceptable means – a good education, which would have allowed them to obtain well-paying jobs so as to afford the socially approved goals (racism apart of course). It is interesting to note that this condition was not peculiar to Guyana, Headley noted the same condition existed in Jamaica after emancipation. I feel confident that further examination would show that same was true for most of the English speaking Caribbean.
This year – 2016, Guyana will be celebration its 50th year of independence.
I understand the present government is planning a big celebration in honor of the occasion. I hope that the warning from the Mighty Chalkdust that “smut can’t help poor people in any way” is heeded during the celebrations. I hope that some time would be set aside for encouraging the nation to engage in serious discussion on why in so many areas, we seem not to have made progress over the years. Why, if that late great black American writer – James Baldwin had to write about Guyana today he would note that in 2016 Guyana celebrates 50th year of independence, 50 years too soon.
Claudius Prince

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