Eliminating street violence and violent crimes

Mar 14, 2017 Letters

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Dear Editor,
I seek to fulfill a promise made in my letter of 31st January 2017 in which I promised to direct my next letter to suggesting steps for eliminating some form/s of crime. I am disgusted at constantly reading in the local newspapers, politicians, the business community and persons described as criminal justice professionals offering criminal justice reform as the vehicle for eliminating crime. The criminal justice system has its place in our overall fight against crime, however, the criminal justice system was never designed or was intended to respond to the root cause of crime. Criminal Justice approach to crime at best achieves a fluctuation in crime over a given period, and this is true for every country in the world that has embraced the criminal justice approach to crime fighting.
Why we continue to offer citizens this criminal justice approach to eliminating crime is confounding especially when we read: (a) – Caption “more young people turning to sex work because of economic circumstances ………,” (b) “Guyana has a recidivist rate of between 75 -80%.” (c) Kaieteur News 8th February “Unemployed teen bandit remorseful, says he has to support family” and (d) Kaieteur News 19th February 2017 quotes the crime chief saying that new “gangs have taken the place of several others that the police had disbanded.”
These headlines seem to scream to us the inability of the justice system to eliminate crime. So, the question for us is if not the justice system what is to be done? And in our desire to eliminate or significantly reduce its occurrence what can we learn from the experiences of other countries?
On several occasions, I have made it clear that I identify with the argument that the environment is the main contributor to street violence and violent crimes in Guyana. Indeed, where these crimes are concerned the clear majority of offenders come from depressed parts of the city and its outskirts. These areas are known for their elevated level of unemployment and underemployment, dysfunctional families and a sense of powerlessness among inhabitants. Street crimes are generally being undertaken to satisfy material needs.
From the young men who, at gun point rob businessmen, to those robbing their fellow poor, who seem to be doing a little better materially, to the soldiers caught stealing milk. These acts have been mostly under taken to satisfy material needs of self and loved ones.
Seemingly in support of my above contention, sociologists Judith and Peter Blau found that a significant proportion of all murders committed in metropolitan America are related to income inequalities. Further, criminologist Elliott Currie concludes “increasing equality goes hand in hand with lower risks of homicide.” So, in the absence of a more equitable division of wealth in Guyana, achieved by the presence of a mixture of good paying jobs and social policy and programs designed to offset the effects of debilitating poverty, there will be street crimes.
Poverty is tied to the issue of social justice. So, when and where poverty gives rise to “voicelessness,” disrespect, citizens seen as only having relevance to the political process on Election Day, social justice is absent. As criminologists are inclined to remind us – persons who have a sense of their importance are unlikely to commit street crime. When for example the poor see that their role in the nation’s politics as merely voters every five years, we are signaling to them our disrespect for them and this give rise to resentment. And, as the Jamaican criminologist Dr. Headley observed “resentment has a way of developing into acrimony and bitterness, and a general sense of unfeeling attitude.”
Mr. Editor, it should not miss our attention that of the 10 countries with the lowest level of crime based on figures at May 2014, five (5) of those countries are Nordic countries – countries in which there is significant concern for equitable distribution of wealth. Indeed, in Iceland for example a survey concluded “There is virtually no difference among upper, middle and lower class in Iceland.” The study further stated that only 1.5% of Icelanders saw themselves as lower class. Iceland’s homicide rate between 1999 -2009 never went beyond 1.8 per 100000 (Denmark has a homicide rate of 0.1). Perhaps, most interesting for us in CARICOM is the fact that between 1944, when Iceland gained its independence and 2013 (a period of 69 years) there was only 1 police shooting in the country. While, in Jamaica from 1st January to the early March 2017 the police have already killed 30 citizens.
What has led these Nordic countries to continuously score impressively among nations with the lowest crime rate? Researchers point to the fact that these countries’ social welfare and education systems promote an egalitarian culture which is the product of their people’s high sense of community.
Indeed, outside of the Nordic countries Japan is also a country in which street crime is “almost unheard of.” Coupled with its economic prosperity the same observation has been made about Japan – its people have an intense sense of community. This seems to be suggesting that where there is a strong sense of community, crime (street violence and violent crimes) is low.
Now this is an important observation. If we accept this argument then as Guyanese we must ask ourselves a couple of questions. For example, what happened in Guyana that led to the dilution in our sense of community (my letter of 12th August 2007 dealt with the characteristics of a community). And importantly, what can be done to revitalize this sense of community among our people. I will give my opinion on these matters in a later letter.
Claudius Prince

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