No punishment for offenders?
published: Friday | February 24, 2006

THE EDITOR, Sir:

DAVID FARABEE, a research psychologist at ULCA and author of Rethinking Rehabilitation: Why Can't We Reform Our Criminals?, opined that dramatic results seen in a 2002 study in New York suggest that serious crime prevention can be achieved by increasing an offender's certainty that there will be negative consequences for committing criminal acts, even low-level offences. Our current initiatives in Jamaica seem to be geared at the 'Kingfish' offences. There appears to be no effort being made to bring to book the offenders who daily create mayhem, by 'minor' infractions, such as blocking our roadways.

The role of the police at these roadblocks appears to be restricted to the removal of the litter from the roadway. So accepting of this situation has law enforcement been that one person recently stated on national television that they had a constitutional right to block the road. No doubt they think they do.

Similarly, the sheltering of criminals is another area where the police have often chosen not to prosecute. The reluctance of the police to prosecute these matters has given rise to civil disobedience as evidenced recently in Farm district and in Dunkirk. Several police vehicles have been destroyed this year in the presence of the police with no one being charged. This conduct on the part of the police makes a mockery of what Commissioner Thomas speaks of as a zero tolerance to crime.

I am, etc.,

PETER CLARKE

940 NW 203rd Av

Pembroke Pines, Fl.

U.S.A.