Gleaner Editor-in-Chief Garfield Grandison (left) presents the newspaper's Silver Pen to Dr. Jephthah Ford for the 'Letter of the Month', at the Gleaner Company's central Kingston offices last Thursday. - WINSTON SILL/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
"WE ARE failing to acknowledge the full cost of crime," said Dr. Jephthah Ford, The Gleaner's Silver Pen winner. His winning letter of April 17 calls for the establishment of a victim support fund.
Dr. Ford runs the Vanford Medical Centre on Pennant Terrace in Kingston together with his brother Jephthan, working on alternate 12-hour shifts. Still he finds time to write letters and on this issue, the former politician is especially exercised.
"Those of us who have money cannot fully appreciate what this death means," he said of murdered 16-year-old Queen's High School student, Meisha-Gaye Tamlin. For her mother, said Dr. Ford: "It means you are condemned to a lifetime of poverty having made the sacrifice to bring this girl up."
WATCHMAN'S MURDER
His letter was also prompted by the murder of his watchman. "He decided to work for six months straight, during which time he didn't go home just so he could build a house for his family. What it means is that his mother will never have the house built."
Acknowledging that grief will not be overcome by financial compensation, Dr. Ford maintained it could ease emotional and financial pains.
Under his proposed scheme, criminals would be fined a sum at their conviction, to be contributed to the fund. "We can easily fix this problem," believed Dr. Ford.
"All it requires is the political will to go towards the creation of this fund, paid for by the criminals themselves."
