Most members of this Jamaican society including myself want rapid trials for murderers and punishment including rapid executions for the guilty. How can it make sense to reward/award long life sentences when said person has shortened the lives of others.
If they kill 1-100 the court rewards them with maximum long life at a cost to taxpayers, approximately $US10,000 per annum. This is neither fair to society or cost-effective to have long sentences for guilty murderers. This only reinforces violent Jamaica as a Criminals' Murderous Paradise (CMP).
This violence has become so endemic that our nation's youth has become socialized into it. Violence has now become sadly a way of life of our people a part of our culture.
Culture is the way of life of a people excluding nothing. The way you think walk, talk, dress, dance sing, pray, drive and preach. I mean your total expression of life not excluding your politics or religious practices.
A deeply religious associate I heard preaching and the sermon title was "God A Badman". The conclusion is that we live in a violent society.
The approach to curtail or reverse this trend has to be a holistic multi-pronged sociological all-inclusive approach.
An essential ingredient of all stable societies is crime. Crime is any behaviour that attracts a fine, imprisonment or some kind of demonstrable punishment. This is important to reinforce the valuable stabilizing behaviour patterns of society (norms/values).
Thou shalt not kill, rape or injure your fellow man. Such offences must be met speedily by the harshest penalties to demonstrably reinforce those norms and values.
The last two persons executed for murder in Jamaica were in 1988 for the murder of a cockeyed man I knew only as "Busta". This murder occurred in the Bethel Town Police Division of Westmoreland.
Since then the entertainingly violent Criminals Murderous Paradise has been growing exponentially. Jamaica is presently the 10th most murderous country on the planet earth. According to the 2023 World Population Review, the country has a crime index of 67.42 crimes per 100,000 citizens.
A piecemeal State of Emergency (SOE) mentality will not yield significant long-term results except for stimulating the dispersal of a most lucrative fast-growing Crime Industry.
There is a legitimate and a illegitimate sector growing side by side competing for dominance. The Crime and Violence industry is at least 10% of GDP.
The World Bank has certified that Jamaica spends 5% of its GDP on crime but made no allowances for the in-our-face but not quantified illegitimate sector. Adding another 5% making it 10% total.
For comparison, it should be noted that Agriculture is only 8% of GDP. The Crime and violence sector leads the way.
Only a holistic approach can achieve a reversal. Crime and violence must be approached rapidly with severe punishment including rapid executions of guilty murderers.
For the religious let us get on with it if indeed "God A Badman".
Contributor
mics 🖊 pen
Foundation fren say YES! rapid and harsh sentencing is the way to go.
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned holistic approach but you only mention one which is more punishment or severe punishment. If it is holistic, punishment can’t be the only approach. There were several revolts during slavery so the punishment is not working. The youths really don’t care if they live or die as they feel hopeless. They have been abandoned by father before they were born and neglected by mother from birth. Parents see themselves as the victim so they abuse the real victims, the children. We need good family values. We need more empathy and compassion. We need to teach parents how to parent and to take responsibility for choices they make. We need positive parents to teach our boys to be men. We kept reaching for the low hanging fruits neglecting the long term. If it is holistic
ReplyDeleteCan't allow Criminals to take over the country.
ReplyDeleteSad state of affairs every child or too many aspire to be a badman killa or assorted criminals.
ReplyDeleteIn communities that have Dons who are respected and firm criminality is kept low.
ReplyDeleteRecall Badman policing got results keeping criminals on the Blackfoot.
ReplyDeleteEven God seen as a Badman gets respect.