One-sided debate about crime in Jamaica
published: Saturday | November 26, 2005

THE EDITOR, Sir:

IN JAMAICA, we continue to have this one-sided debate about the relationship between crime and unemployment. It seems that the general perception of the populace is that the crime is a by-product of unemployment.

This misguided view is also supported by many politicians and pundits on the talk show circuit. I think however that we need to have a more honest discussion about the relationship between the two. This relationship is more akin to the chicken and egg scenario. Does unemployment cause crime, or does crime cause unemployment? I think we will see that the answer is not clear cut as we like to believe.

MARGINAL SURVIVORS

It is true that people who are unemployed, in a bid for survival, will sometimes turn to less than legal means to support themselves. Also in the Jamaican context, the number of persons who are only surviving marginally is high and getting higher, hence the possibility of more crimes being committed. However unemployment does not exist in a vacuum. In a modern capitalist society as open as ours, we require investors to use their capital to invest in productive ventures which will provide jobs. The very high and escalating crime, and in particular murder rate will not see any sane investor rushing to plough money into the country, unless it is in security or funeral-related services. Therefore as long as the crime statistics remain as high as they are, the country will never realise its full job creation potential.

I am, etc.,

RICARDO SMALLLING

rsmalling @sympatico.ca

Barbados

Via Go-Jamaica