Deep pockets under microscope - CAPRI suggests burden-shift on individuals for accumulated wealth
Published:Friday | March 6, 2020 | 12:18 AM
The Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CAPRI) is recommending that the deep pockets of Jamaicans flaunting unexplained wealth should be turned out and examined as the Government pushes to staunch the wave of crime and violence that has submerged scores of communities.
Crime, security, and justice researcher at CAPRI, Joanna Callen, suggested that more pressure be exerted on individuals to bear the burden of proof when questions are raised about their wealth.
“Increase the scope and depth of financial investigations. This is for all criminal activity at all levels and not only financial crimes; legislative change with regard to unexplained wealth to put the burden of proof on the owner of the suspected asset, and to asset recovery incentive schemes, having addressed any extant constitutional constraints,” said Callen, addressing a panel discussion titled ‘Guns Out: The Splintering of Jamaica’s Violent Gangs’, held at the Terra Nova Hotel in St Andrew on Wednesday.
CAPRI is also pushing for the Government to empower, expand, and support the Financial Investigations Division to make it more effective.
“Going after the proceeds of gang-organised crime is a powerful disincentive and a powerful symbol, and it doesn’t hurt to raise your revenue either,” she said.
Callen said that well-established gangs are selling marijuana and cocaine to enrich themselves and to buy guns.
However, over the years, many gangs have splintered, and it has become more difficult for law enforcement to track their activities and locate the beneficiaries.
Lawmakers approved amendments to the Proceeds of Crime Act last year to close loopholes in Jamaica’s domestic financial system.
CaPRI also argued that law-enforcement policy was part of the reason for the fracture of gangs.
“A wholly suppressive strategy can have the unintentional consequence of splintering gangs. We saw this with the May 2010 West Kingston operation, which dislodged the most established organised crime entity in Jamaica, the Shower Posse, and this was followed by an intensive crackdown targeting gang leaders across the island,” Callen said.
But while the murder rate fell from 62 per 100,000 in 2009 to 36 per 100,000 in 2014, the number of gangs increased exponentially.
In 2010, the JCF reported that there were some 110 gangs operating in the country. Eight years later, there were 318 gangs, Callen said.
The CAPRI researcher said that the ongoing states of emergency also have the unintended effect of splintering gangs as members become displaced because of the heavy security blanket in their home communities.
Between 2008 and 2018, gang-related murders accounted for 56 per cent of killings in Jamaica, with a high in 2013 of 78 per cent.
The global homicide average is six per 100,000. Last year, Jamaica’s stood at 47 per 100,000.