Poverty and Conflict Management in Jamaica

• Author: Aldrie Henry-Lee
• Pages: 365-382

Aldrie Henry-Lee 365365

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Poverty and Conflict Management in Jamaica

A L D R I E H E N R Y-L E E

University of the West Indies, Mona

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Introduction

The fact is, however that crime is

unacceptably high. Jamaica’s

homicide rate, at 44 per 100,000

in 2001 is among the highest in the

world and of the 1000 people killed

in 2001, 69% died by the gun.

Jamaica with a population of 2.6 million

has one of the highest murder rates in the

world. Crime prevention is of paramount

importance to the Government as Jamaica

struggles to find its place in an increasingly

globalizing world. .

. .

. This paper focuses on

poverty and crime prevention in Jamaica.

Using secondary data, the link between public

and private poverty and crime is examined.

Previous research on crime in Jamaica has

shown that a large percentage of violent crime

is caused by interpersonal conflict. The paper

discusses the 12-point crime plan and also

evaluates briefly three conflict management

programmes that aim to reduce interpersonal

conflict. These programmer experience

limited success and the reduction in conflict is

not sustained. The paper concludes that for

conflict management programmes to be

successful, the issues of private and public

poverty need to be addressed.

Theoretical Issues

Two key concepts used in this paper are

crime and conflict. The paper establishes the

link between crime and conflict, showing that

a large proportion of crime in Jamaica is

caused by interpersonal conflict. Crime is ‘an

anti-social act’, or ‘a failure or refusal to live

up to the standard of conduct deemed

acceptable by the members of a particular

society’. Crime prevention can be defined in

many different ways. It is the anticipation,

recognition and appraisal of a crime risk, and

then the initiation of some type of action to

reduce or remove that risk.2

Several definitions of conflict exist. Conflict

arises from a discord of needs, drives, wishes

and/or demands.3 Conflict is the interaction

of interdependent people who perceive

incompatible goals and interference from

each other in achieving those goals.4 Strategies

for conflict management

must first recognize

that conflict is normal and a natural occurrence

that should be expected. Conflict must be used

to have constructive effects instead of

destructive effects. Constructive effects of

- Dr the Honourable Peter Phillips1

Poverty and Conflict Management in Jamaica

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conflict include the energizing of people and

the strengthening of relationships, the opening

of new and enduring media for improved

communication and the provision of an outlet

for pent-up tension. However, when conflict

has destructive effects, crimes may be

committed.

There is an intricate link between crime

prevention and conflict management. If conflict

management is successful, crime caused by

interpersonal conflict will be reduced.

Brantingham and Faust5 put forward a

conceptual model of crime prevention, which

includes the management of conflict. Their

model had three levels of prevention. Figure

1 provides a graphic presentation of the

model.

• The primary prevention level is directed

towards the modification of criminogenic

conditions in the physical and social

environment.

• The secondary prevention level is directed

at early identification and intervention in

the lives of individuals or groups in

criminogenic circumstances; and

Figure 1: Criminology Paradigm

• The tertiary prevention level is directed

at the prevention of recidivism.

Conflict management is at the primary

level. Figures 2 and 3 outline the role of the

different stakeholders in the prevention of

crime.

This paper seeks to examine the

implications for conflict management and

consequently crime prevention in Jamaica in

a context of public and private poverty.

Public poverty is the inability of the State

to provide adequate access to all basic social

services to all its citizens. Private poverty is

the inability of an individual or household to

attain a minimum standard of living that is

acceptable in a specific society. Many theorists

argue that crime in a society is shaped by its

socioeconomic conditions. The theories that

are usually cited as explanations of the

relationship between crime and the economy

may be loosely grouped into three: (A) the

Psychosocial [relative deprivation theory and

Frustration-Aggression theory], (B) the

Conflict, and (C) the Systems perspectives.6

Source: P. Brantingham and F. Faust, ‘A Conceptual Model of Crime Prevention’, Crime and Delinquency

22 (1976).

TERTIARY

Reform

Community

treatment

Institutional

treatment

Punishment

Rehabilitation

Training support

surveillance

PRIMARY

Environmental

General social

and physical

well-being

programs

Crime

prevention

education

SECONDARY

Early

identification

Pre-delinquent

screening

Individual

intervention

Neighborhood

programs Incapacitation

Institutional custody