IS POLITICS IMPACTING ON CRIMES IN JAMAICA? A THEORETICAL EVALUATION

Abstract

The nexus of crime and politics has its historical roots in the Jamaican society long before the 1970s. The ‘badness-honour’, which permeates the nation currently, can be ascribed to the 1970s even though its genesis is before this time period. The crime phenomenon in Jamaica, nay, the Caribbean, cannot be comprehensively examined without a reference to politics. The crime phenomenon has reached a pandemic status, and the marriage between politics and crime must commence with a review of the theoretical frameworks underpinning the interpretation of the data, which have for decades guided the policy frameworks in the region. The reality is that the crime phenomenon continues to elude policy planners as they have not to date effectively designed any programmes that have significantly impacted positively on the crime pandemic. The problems with policy implementation in the Caribbean are etched within the plethora of benefits to be derived from criminality, political exclusion, and economic marginalization, compounded by links to gain political power. The case of solving the crime problem in the Caribbean is not hinged on the choice of theoretical frameworks used or unused, but rather it is the unwillingness of politicians to implement the recommendations, which emerge from the empirical evidence.