

The data on homicides in the Caribbean, in 2023, as reported by the Statista Research Department, (a source that is rated as highly trustworthy by several entities) showed Jamaica with the highest rate of murder per capita, at 60.9 per 100,000. Statista, which shows data on countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, locates Ecuador at second position at 44.5 per 100,000 followed by Haiti, in third place, at 40.9 per 100,000; Trinidad & Tobago is in 4th place with 37.7 per 100,000, while Belize is in 9th place with 21.5 per 100,000, followed by Guyana in 10th position with 19.7 per 100,000.

The data on intentional homicides for 2022, show Jamaica in the top position at 53.34 per 100,000, followed by St. Vincent and the Grenadines at 40.41; Trinidad & Tobago at 39.52, St. Lucia at 36.7, rounding out the top four, with Honduras and Ecuador taking 5th and 6th place respectively and Dominica coming in at 7th. On a global scale, the top five countries, in descending order, according to the WorldAtlas, are El Salvador, Jamaica, Venezuela, Honduras, and Lesotho.

Socio-economic issues and high levels of violence
By contrast, the countries with the lowest levels of violence globally are Singapore and Japan (tied for first place) with 0.2 murders per 100,000; Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates in second position at 0.5 per 100,000; and South Korea in third place at 0.6 per 100,000.

The question which therefore arises is: what factors explain the levels of murder between countries with high rates versus those with low rates? While there are potentially several factors, sociologists and social development specialists are agreed that crime is a public health problem, and its containment requires the same approach used by epidemiologists in containing any public health disease.
The question which therefore arises is: what factors explain the levels of murder between countries with high rates versus those with low rates? While there are potentially several factors, sociologists and social development specialists are agreed that crime is a public health problem, and its containment requires the same approach used by epidemiologists in containing any public health disease.
Some of the identified root causes of this disease of crime are corruption, inequities in the justice system, wealth disparities as well as disparities in the allocation of public resources, and flaws in the education system which result in inadequate allocation of public resources to some schools and limited opportunities for accessing higher education. The limited opportunities to access higher education result from both the inability of many students, especially males, to meet matriculation requirements and afford tuition. By virtue of being barred from opportunities to acquire skill and training, many youths turn to gangs or become susceptible for enlistment in gangs.
One of the stark contrasts between countries with high levels of murder (and other violent crimes) and those with low levels, is the rate of tertiary participation. This measure refers to the percentage of school leavers (15 years and over) who go on to post-secondary education. In the Caribbean the average level of tertiary participation is less than 3 in 10, with Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago being outliers at 6 in 10. By contrast, the countries such as Singapore, other countries in Southeast Asia as well as Oceania, the rate is, on average, in the range of 7 to 8 in 10. Levels of innovation are also much higher in those countries with high levels of tertiary participation.
A further word on the public health perspective
In my 2020 book, Education and Development: Policy Priorities for Jamaica and the Caribbean, I discuss the issue of crime using the public health disease model. I provide below, an extended excerpt from the book on the subject.
“Slutkin (2013) and Ward et al. (2012) describe violence as a contagious disease and make the assertion that diseases and violence have been responsible for most of the mass fatalities in human history. They also remark that prior to the period when diseases such as leprosy, typhus, cholera and other such diseases were understood as epidemics, those affected by them were blamed for being affected. In a similar way, societies have tended to blame victims of violence for having been victimized. Slutkin makes the further point that the worst decisions that medical practitioners, public health officials and policymakers can make in relation to diseases affecting individuals or society is that of misdiagnosing the cause of the condition.
With violence, and particularly murder, being such a negative psychological and social crisis, the country needs to deepen its understanding of root causes to arrive at appropriate solutions to anatomize it. Slutkin provides some useful insights to this end, from which Jamaica can learn. He asserts that violence is a phenomenon driven by the brain and argues that if that and other scientific findings about human behaviour are connected with what is known from infectious disease epidemiology, a new set of causations and strategies to reduce violence can be created more predictably. He concludes that containing violence requires both an understanding of how the brain processes violent experiences and the epidemiology of diseases. With respect to the latter, Slutkin itemizes the three critical variables in the management of infectious diseases in populations, namely clustering, spread and transmission. Therefore, translated to the context of crime, Jamaican crime fighters and policymakers need to isolate and cluster the different forms and types of murders, determine what motivates each and implement strategies to prevent widespread occurrence or even to totally obliterate it.
With violence, and particularly murder, being such a negative psychological and social crisis, the country needs to deepen its understanding of root causes to arrive at appropriate solutions to anatomize it.
Ward et al. (2012) also posit some useful insights into the anatomy of violence, which find applicability to the murder situation in Jamaica. They conclude that it seems likely that the stress of violence in the community finds expression in violence in the home. In turn, it is also likely that children who experience violence in the home more often than not grow up into young adults who perpetrate violence in the community. This view is corroborated by Slutkin, who explains that clustering in space, or spatial grouping, provides the ideal condition for the rapid spread of diseases but the spread is not linear, which is why many researchers will have difficulty attributing rises and falls to simple causative factors. Once there is clustering, there will be transmission asymmetrically and a rapid spread. The key then to limiting transmission is to identify those who have been affected and quarantine them from the rest of the population until they are cured or until the acuity of the condition has been minimized to prevent transmission”. (Pages 71 – 72).
Smikle in an article published on the website of the Nationwide News on October 16, 2024 reported that the Jamaica Teachers’ Association is lobbying for more social intervention programmes to tackle the high incidence of violence in schools. Popular music and the display and emulation of negative behaviours on social media are among the cited factors that contribute to deviance. President of the Dr. Mark Smith suggests the pursuit of a collaborative strategy among key stakeholders to combat the scourge of school violence.
Gibbs reporting for Irie FM in 2022 noted that Prime Minister Andrew Holness indicated that the issue of violence in Jamaica needs to be treated as a public health crisis. Holness advanced the implementation of a National Commission for the Prevention of Violence, as a strategy for dealing with the pressing issue.
Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley speaking at a special symposium on Violence as a Public Health Issue in April 2023, pointed to the reality of dealing with crime and violence from an international perspective since many of the challenges are extraterritorial. Among these factors are the influx of weapons from overseas, the influencing of morals and values as well as the movement of people.
Policy Recommendations
Addressing crime and violence in the Caribbean as a public health issue requires a long-term, comprehensive, collaborative and multidisciplinary approach. The following are five policy recommendations that have the potential to advance this effort:
- Sharing Data:
- The sharing of data related to crime and violence, including its impact on health is vital. This will be useful in identifying trends, allocating resources more effectively, and evaluating the effectiveness of interventions as well as promote evidence-based decision-making. This will enable the strengthening of referral services such that communities that are plagued by crime and violence can be assisted as medical and psychiatric resources can be deployed appropriately. Collaborating with international partners will also be important in this regard.
- Improving Mental Health Services:
- Expand access to mental health care, particularly in communities affected by violence. Prioritizing mental health can help address underlying issues that contribute to violent behaviour and support recovery for affected individuals.
- Implementing Integrated Health and Safety Policies:
- Foster collaboration among health, law enforcement, education, and social services sectors to create integrated policies that address the root causes of violence, such as poverty, unemployment, and lack of education.
- Strengthening Community-Based Programmes:
- Invest in community-led initiatives that promote sound values and attitudes, social cohesion, conflict resolution, and violence prevention. Programmes can include youth engagement activities, mentorship, and rehabilitation efforts for at-risk individuals. Parenting and mediation initiatives are also critical to support the process.
- Promoting Economic Opportunities:
- Develop economic programmes that focus on job creation, skills training, and entrepreneurship, particularly for youth. There are often severe economic disparities within violence-prone communities, economic empowerment can reduce crime by providing viable alternatives to violence and criminal activity.
These recommendations will be useful in preventing crime in some instances, reducing deviance in others and will aim to treat with both the symptoms and underlying causes of crime and violence, emphasizing the challenge as a critical multifaceted public health concern.
References
Gibbs, Shanice. (2022, 30 August). Prime Minister Andrew Holness says issue of violence needs to be
treated as public health crisis. https://iriefm.net/prime-minister-andrew-holness-says-issue-of-
violence-needs-to-be-treated-as-public-health-crisis/
Smikle, Shaloy. (2024, October 16). JTA Wants More Social Intervention Programmes to Tackle School
Violence. Nation Wide News. https://nationwideradiojm.com/jta-wants-more-social-
intervention-programmes-to-tackle-school-violence/#google_vignette
Slutkin, Gary. 2013. “Contagion of Violence: Workshop Summary”. Violence Is a Contagious Disease. February 6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK207245/.
Ward, Elizabeth, Paris Lyew Ayee, and Deanna Ashley. 2012. “The Impact of Urban Violence on Jamaican Children: Challenges and Responses”. https://bernardvanleer.org/app/uploads/2015/12/ECM119_Community-violence-and-young-children-making-space-for-hope.pdf.
Canute Thompson is Professor of Educational Policy, Planning and Leadership, Pro Vice-Chancellor – Undergraduate Studies and Director of the Caribbean Centre for Educational Planning at The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, a social activist, and author of eight books and twenty journal articles.
His academic achievements include:
- Two Principal’s Awards in 2020 for Most Outstanding Researcher and Best Publication for his book, Reimagining Educational Leadership in the Caribbean.
- Two Principal’s Awards in 2023 for research activity generating the most funds, and research activity with the most development impacts, serving as Project Director for a project executed by the Caribbean Centre for Educational Planning.
- A 2022 Bronze place winner in the Independent Publisher Book Awards for his book, Education and Development: Policy Imperatives for Jamaica and the Caribbean.
- A 2021 finalist in The Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence for all-round excellent performance in Outstanding Teaching, Outstanding Research Accomplishments, Outstanding Service to the University Community, Outstanding Public Service.
- A 2021 Principal’s Award for Most Outstanding Researcher.
Allison Montgomery is a senior administrator in higher education. Among her research interests are educational planning, governance, social justice and public sector reform. She has to her credit six (6) co-authored works.