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DETERRING CRIME
“I stand accused before you; I have no tears to cry; and you will never break me till the day I die.” These are cold, defiant words from the song “A Criminal Mind” written and performed by the Canadian artiste, Lawrence Gowan.
It was apparently directed at the justice system by a criminal. It is unclear what motivated Gowan to pen these lyrics but he conveys the impression that he was attempting to explain the criminal mindset and provide insight into this perplexing subject of crime, which has intrigued human beings from time immemorial.
Why do people, mostly youths, develop a mindset that drives them to commit crime, especially the heinous, violent type like murder and armed robbery that are widespread in Guyana. Perhaps the answer lies in our socialization process of children which more or less determines who they will be when they become young adults.
The process, which involves inputs from the home, schools, the church and society, has defined behaviours as good and bad. Good behaviour is generally encouraged and rewarded by society while bad behaviour is reprimanded and, in some cases, is severely punished.
As a nation, we are fixated at dishing out the harshest punishment to offenders as if they are not human beings. Criminals are not born; they are created and are products of their environment largely as a result of their exposure to various influences during their impressionable formative years.
Studies show that a person’s character is basically formed in the first five years of childhood and it is not likely that this character makeup will change later on in life. So the best way to make a change in youths is to make sure that parents are educated.
Unfortunately, in Guyana there are many single parents, mostly women who are struggling to survive. Fathers are absent and the Child Protection Agency cannot cope with the demand for services to help children.
The increase in gun-related crimes in the country by mostly youths has led to strident calls for the resumption of the death penalty in the case of murder, and, in other cases, the return of the cat-o-nine tails as effective responses to end the lawlessness. However, such reactive approach which has characterized our crime fighting strategy for decades has not worked.
A proactive strategy would provide opportunities to help save youths from becoming hardened criminals like Gowan’s character.
Although many of our offenders have become hardcore criminals like the character in Gowan’s song, harsh punishment is unlikely to change their bad behaviour. While some believe that rehabilitation is an obviously taxing proposition because young offenders may have been exposed to harsh treatment throughout their entire life. Others are of the opinion that if criminals are treated in a soft, gentle manner with genuine love and care, they may change.
It is true that everyone, regardless of who he or she is, feels empty or abandoned without an experience of love, acceptance and appreciation. And, interestingly, many offenders have admitted to feeling this way.
Criminologists have predicted that crime is likely to get worse unless the government changes its approach which emphasizes punishment and not rehabilitation. While the laws must be enforced, however, a strategy that lacks a serious crime prevention programme is flawed and will not reduce crime. In fact, a reactive crime fighting strategy, which emphasizes punishment, may actually make the crime situation even worse. The thought of being in prison is no longer an effective deterrent to crime, as confirmed by the gleeful images of some young offenders who gave thumbs-up after being sentenced as if they had scored some major victory.
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