Garth Rattray | Jamaica is experiencing a tolerance of deviance

Most would have heard the anecdote about the frog sitting in a pot of cool water. The water is heated up very slowly and the frog relaxes in the warmth. It accommodates to the increasing temperature and does not realise the danger until it is too late.

We, the good citizens of Jamaica, are in a similar predicament to that frog. Over the years, indiscipline, corruption, incompetence, selfishness, crassness, aggression, cruelty, perversion, crime, and violence have undergone incremental increases. If viewed over the span of several decades, the massive increase in their occurrence will become evident.

Other descriptive terms for ‘tolerance of deviance’ are, ‘crime habituation’, ‘decriminalisation by default’, and ‘normalisation of deviance’. In crime habituation, constantly being impacted by or observing crime reduces its perceived severity. Decriminalisation by default occurs when the security and justice systems fail to adequately address crime, which effectively leads to a [variable] acceptance of crime. When there is normalisation of deviance, communities and the society at large gradually become desensitised to deviant behaviour and begin viewing it as normal.

Deterioration in cultural norms

The things that contribute to tolerance for deviance include socioeconomic inequity, prolonged and sustained exposure to crime, media desensitisation to the results of criminal activity, lack of adequate or effective law enforcement, and a deterioration in cultural norms and values. It comes as no surprise that every one of those contributing factors applies to Jamaica.

Social media deserves special mention. It has grown into an extremely powerful tool for informing, misinforming and influencing people. Now that phones have cameras with video capabilities, many videos are posted showing horrendous images of the results of criminal activities. These unfiltered and unedited scenes are very impactful on our psyches. Our minds accommodate to them until they seem commonplace. Shootings and murders no longer invoke the level of shock and horror that they once did in most of us. That, in and of itself, is terrible and dangerous for us as a nation.

With tolerance for deviance comes social erosion; the deterioration of social values and norms, lack of trust in and respect for established institutions, increased crime and violence, and consequential [widespread] mental health issues. These problems will facilitate gang activity and attendant gang violence, community decline, domestic violence, the exploitation of susceptible individuals and human trafficking. Tolerance for deviance will also bring about the vicious cycle of corruption in government institutions, which will feed back into tolerance for deviance.

According to a study by Paul Bourne, Dennis Brooks and Vivienne Quarrie, An Analysis of Select Violent Crimes in Jamaica 2010-2022 (found on the Jamaica Constabulary Force website), Jamaica’s murder rate peaked in 2017 at 60.37 per 100,000 population. However, we experienced an almost 12 per cent reduction in major crimes since the beginning of 2024, and murders decreased by 14.5 per cent as of July 2024. However, since 2018, Jamaica has been averaging about one murder every six hours. We remain among the countries with the most murders (per capita) on the planet.

In Jamaica, most violent crimes, including murders, are committed using guns. They were used in 79.1 per cent of murders, and 68.7 per cent of robberies. St Andrew heads the list of places where most murders are committed (23.3 per cent), this is followed by St Catherine (18.8 per cent), Kingston (12.2 per cent), and St James (10.8 per cent).

SERIOUS CRIMES

Most serious crimes occur on Fridays (9.1 per cent), and Saturdays (16.1 per cent). Additionally, October (8.9 per cent) and January (8.8 per cent) are the most dangerous months. The researchers highlighted those places and times in the hope that the authorities would focus on them in order to deter and ameliorate criminal activities.

Robberies (41.1 per cent) are more common than murders (29.9 per cent) and shootings (28.9 per cent). The researchers also found that most violent crimes are committed by individuals who were on foot (a whopping 82.6 per cent). Most crimes took place on the roads (49.9 per cent), in dwellings (14.6 per cent), and premises (6.4 per cent). This information indicates a need for more robust community policing, the involvement of neighbourhood watch programmes, and much more public awareness.

It is encouraging to note that there has been a decline in violent crime since 2010. This indicates that the Jamaica government is reaping some success. But, as I opined in my August 18 piece in The Sunday Gleaner, “Weedwhacker crime control is ineffective”. The root causes of crime and violence are in dire need of attention, and only significant social intervention can do that.

Although we are way behind in instituting impactful social reform, we are now at the full complement of police (14,000 personnel) for the first time in our history. We have cutting-edge technology, brainy and well-trained IT experts, and several top end police vehicles needed by our SWAT teams. But do you feel safer? No!

Things are not going to magically return to the way that they used to be. We must invest heavily with money, time, and the effort needed to carry out meaningful and sustained socioeconomic developmental programmes for underprivileged communities and for the products of their existence. We must belabour respect for one another and for the safety and well-being of others.

We must stamp out corruption and inefficiency wherever we find them. We must ensure that education is seen as the key to the future and actively campaign against those get rich quick schemes (like scamming). And we must clean up law enforcement and embark on sustained zerotolerance approaches for law-breakers.

Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and garthrattray@gmail.com