Crime and the economy
published: Wednesday | October 1, 2003
Delroy Chuck
"IT'S THE economy, stupid." Former United States President Bill Clinton was right. The economy affects virtually everything. Clinton inherited and continued sound economic policies from the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and George Bush, the elder, which transformed the American landscape and generated economic growth and development throughout his presidency. America experienced a gradual reduction in violent crime for 10 years and more, and the growing economy contributed significantly to the control of crime and other social ills.
LEARNING FROM OTHERS
When we search for solutions to crime, we need to think broadly and learn from the experience of others. For the last 10 years and more, crime and the fear of crime have overwhelmed the nation, even as we pass more laws, abrogate rights and freedoms, brutalise communities, penalise young men and execute alleged gunmen and violent criminals. It is time we excise strategies and policies that have failed and can never, in the long term, succeed. No doubt, we must improve policing, strengthen prosecution, increase punishment, and engage in a myriad of other social goodness, but until we get our economy right, it will be impossible to control the proliferation of crime and violence. To be sure, a booming economy will not completely stop crime, in fact nothing will, as some crime will always be around, but an expanding economy provides the outlets and means to consume the energies and efforts of the criminal minded. In any event, even if my arguments are not convincing, let history and experience be our guide.
During the past decade and more, while America and the rest of the world expanded and developed economically, Jamaica stagnated and buckled from strangling economic policies and a daft economic model that was destined to distribute poverty and, predictably, contributed to the escalation of crime. Is anyone really surprised that the most recent polls showed that the two top concerns of Jamaicans are 1) crime and violence and 2) jobs and the failing economy? In truth, they are closely related.
CRIME AND THE ECONOMY
The Edward Seaga, the Leader of the Opposition, and Andrew Holness, Member of Parliament for St. Andrew West Central, in separate parliamentary contributions, demonstrated the strong correlation, during the last four decades in Jamaica, between the rate of violent crime and the state of the economy. The available evidence therefore connects a stagnating economy and the escalation in crime. Let me be very clear that I am not saying that poverty causes crime but when economic policies dislocate families, remove workers from jobs, cause the gap between the rich and the poor to widen and aggravate the inequity and disparity in wealth, it is not difficult to discern how economic dislocation, perennial joblessness, social discontent, frustration, hopelessness and bitterness contribute to criminal activity. What has been the true experience of thousands of Jamaica over the past decade?
Insecurity and the fear of crime have dominated our lives. We have seen neighbourhoods, especially in the inner cities, taken over by gangs and dons. The middle class and business communities spend massive sums of money on secu-rity, whether it is in the form of extortion or on huge outlays for security guards or electronic gadgets. Nowadays, the three main growth industries are 1) the security establishment, as people seek to secure themselves, their families and properties, 2) the churches and gambling, as people search for hope in a hopeless society and 3) funerals, primarily when security fails and hope dies.
I am really tired of hearing people argue that crime and insecurity are the causes of our economic ills instead of the other way around. People feel that if Jamaica could reduce its criminality then investors would flood our shores that is nonsense. Why are they not investing massively in Cuba, Haiti, Guyana or some of the smaller Caribbean islands? Admittedly, crime is a problem that cannot be ignored and is certainly one of the factors that investors take into consideration in deciding whether to invest. But, if crime is a problem, why are so many investors crowding the business districts in and around Princess and Orange streets, where crimes occur daily? Investors are motivated by the risk factor and the profitability of the enterprise, and are not easily deterred by wanton criminality. I strongly believe if we get the economy growing steadily and significantly, and the quality of life improved dramatically, crime and many of our social ills would be more easily controlled.
QUALITY OF LIFE
Interestingly, some 20 years ago, I attended a seminar in Brazil and a presenter on population control, a Roman Catholic Bishop, said that the world knows how to reduce birth rate and control the population explosion and, while we waited for some momentous revelation, he simply declared, "Improve people's quality of life and they will have less children". Well, as I ponder and researched that simple statement, it is undoubtedly true. History has demonstrated that areas and countries that have a high quality of life tend to reduce their population. It is no mystery therefore that Europe, Canada, Australia and the countries that are improving their citizens' quality of life have the difficult task of encouraging them to have more children. That exact correlation has not been shown for crime and the economy. However, when an economy provides jobs and opportunities, choices and alternatives, care and welfare, security and justice, crime and many of the social ills are correspondingly suppressed.
When we removed the Suppression of Crimes Act, we should have put in place policies and legislation to grow the economy. When the economy is growing and developing, crime will be kept in check, as many idle hands find work and vocation to occupy their time. That is the simple lesson we need to sink in our heads and from which we can benefit - increase jobs and economic empowerment and crime and violence will decrease.
Delroy Chuck is an attorney-at-law and Opposition Member of Parliament. He can be contacted by e-mail at Delchuck@Hotmail.com
