The Editor, Sir:
We were amazed at the interpretation Dr. Phillips makes of the good, decent statistics put to him by Dr. Chevannes et al of the University of the West Indies regarding crimes and the propensity of Jamaicans who have been deported to commit crimes versus Jamaicans who have never migrated, in a Government-commissioned survey.
Looking at the raw data, we see that 1:18 'deportees' are likely to do crime to 1:17 Jamaicans who have never migrated. Thus by looking, 1:18 is a smaller unit than 1:17.5 per cent compared to approx 6 per cent. The total number of deportees was given as approximately 33,500 by the study and the population of Jamaica is over 2.5 million. Therefore, a reasonable analysis based upon proper maths would have only about 1,900 Jamaicans who were deported that are likely to do crimes, while the same data would reveal something very troubling, that over 145,000 Jamaicans at yard, who have never been anywhere, are likely to commit a crime.
Less likely to commit crimes
With only 33,500 Jamaicans deported out of a reported nearly three million in foreign lands, it shows Jamaicans with foreign experience are less likely to commit crimes, plus the huge remittances to Jamaica is proof enough of the good contributions those Jamaicans continue to make for Jamaica's sake. Thus, the minister, in trying to blame a loosely-organised set of Jamaicans for crimes, is way off the mark and trying to absolve or to defray responsibility for the heinous crimes from the Government, which to us, is a result of years of poor policy and poor governance, that gives rise to these not-so-lovely statistics.
The Government cannot rescue or cure the ills by being disingenuous to fact-finding data and or by hiding the real meanings of same data by any 'smokescreens'. The fact is the statistics and general high ratio show the propensity of Jamaicans to do crimes, whether deportees or Jamaicans who have never left yard. This is telling data confirming poor government policies, implementation and/or administration.
I am, etc.,
WILFRED GRAY
ggraywillie@hotmail.com
694 S.20th St.
Newark, New Jersey
Via Go-Jamaica
