Is the anti-gang law false hope?

Jaevion Nelson

Now is certainly not the time for us to pussyfoot about addressing crime and violence (or gangs for that matter). We have one of the highest homicide rates worldwide. There are 268 gangs with 3,900 members who are responsible for most incidents of crime and violence, including armed robbery, extortion, contract killings, kidnapping, drug trafficking and gun-running activities. Note that there are only 9,694 police officers (about 2.5 per 'gang' member). The police are, of course, overwhelmed!

I acknowledge and accept the informed opinion of Horace Levy (from the Peace Management Initiative) and my former boss, Dr Elizabeth Ward (of the Violence Prevention Alliance), that there are differences between organised gangs, corner crews, defence crews, etc. We would be very negligent if we ignore this reality. Notwithstanding, I believe, like my colleagues, that, despite their differences, they all contribute to reducing the quality of life in Jamaica, put a strain on the economy, and destroy our communities.

a cause for concern

Gangs are a cause for concern. "For every additional gang member ..., the number of homicides increased by 0.4 percent, and, for every additional gang ..., the number of homicides increased by about 10 percent" (UNDP, 2012). The 2010 UNDP Citizen Security Survey found 10.8 per cent of Jamaicans said criminal gangs are present in their neighbourhood and 40.7 per cent - the highest among seven Caribbean countries - said they are a big problem. Among these (10.8 per cent) residents, nearly 40 per cent (36.8 per cent) first noticed their presence more than five years ago and about 15 per cent (14.7 per cent) first noticed them within the last year.

An approach to address gang violence is, therefore, a crucial aspect of our strategy (not the panacea!) to become a safe(r), (more) cohesive and justice society.

will there be change?

We must, therefore, ask if the Criminal Justice (Suppression of Criminal Organisations) Act will achieve this. What is the likelihood that it will deter people from joining 'gangs' (whatever their characteristic differences) and organised crime groups, and address the socio-economic and political issues that may influence their formation? Will it change the views of 15 per cent of people who in 2010 said gangs help to keep their communities safer? How will it help us to 'unite for change' when 36.3 per cent of us believe judges are corrupt; 57.3 per cent believe the justice system is corrupt; 52.7 per cent believe powerful criminals will go free, and 57.8 per cent believe politically connected criminals will go free (UNDP, 2012)?

We clearly need to deal with the matter of distrust urgently. And as my friend Charles Barrett, the managing director of Advertising Advantage, said recently, "The greatest deterrent to crime is not the severity of the punishment, but the certainty of it." Hello?!

As we move forward with the anti-gang law, we must be mindful that only 23.4 per cent of Jamaicans have confidence in the police to control gang violence. Confidence among residents is similar in neighbourhoods where they are no gangs (and where there are). Confidence in the police's ability to control murder is 22.7 per cent in neighbourhoods with no gangs (and 21.4 per cent in those with gangs); 22.8 per cent (22 per cent) in terms of gang violence; 9.1 per cent (5.8 per cent) in terms of powerful criminals, and 11.7 per cent (6.9 per cent) in terms of crime in general. Moreover, the problem is compounded by the fact that 21.8 per cent of respondents in neighbourhoods where there are gangs do not respond to crime because criminals are too powerful.

Could the anti-gang law be giving us a sense of false hope that we can reduce murders to 12 per 100,000 (or 321 per year) by 2017? Perhaps. Especially when other crucial pieces of legislation are yet to be passed and programmes are severely under-resourced. This is the time for us as a nation to 'unite for change' and develop a comprehensive strategy to address crime and violence that relies on far more multifaceted approaches and builds our confidence that our strategy goes beyond 'suppression of crime' through policing (paramilitary?). Critically, we must establish synergies across the dozens of social interventions and outreach programmes, and identify gaps and follow the wisdom of people like Professor Anthony Harriott, Dr Carolyn Gomes, Horace Levy, and Dr Elizabeth Ward.

Jaevion Nelson is a youth development, HIV and human-rights advocate. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and jaevion@gmail.com.