Jamaican criminals always carry weapons while committing a crime: Reports

An Inter-American Development Bank study has shown that Jamaica leads the Caribbean in the number of criminals who are armed with weapons when they commit a crime.

Fifty-one per cent of non-homicides, the report said, included weapons, while 63 per cent of deaths linked weapons. The study said a total of 56 per cent of all crimes perpetrated by inmates involved a weapon.

The IDB expects that eight out of every 100 civilians living in Jamaica has a firearm, the fourth highest in the Caribbean, yet it exceeds all other countries considered for the presence of weapons in non-homicidal crimes.

The study probed where inmates took their first firearm. Fifty-five per cent said it was provided by a family or friend. The report revealed, too, that 36 per cent obtained their first gun in ages 14 and 17.

Not only are the inmates using weapons, but a fraction of them are using drugs and alcohol mere hours before they carry out their crimes.

According to the study, a drug or alcohol was used within six hours prior to the crime in 21 per cent of the cases. Especially relating to murders, the figure was recorded at 18 per cent.

In the prisons themselves, more than 40 per cent of the inmates admitted to using drugs and alcohol, and over 70 per cent said they had seen inmates use banned substances.

“Respondents report that the majority of drugs are brought in by prison staff,” the report stated.

According to the IDB study, it performs that roots such as Jamaica have been going about dealing with crime using the wrong approach.

“Incarceration in the Caribbean is not effective nor efficient in producing greater safety or just outcomes,” the report stated.

The IDB says inmates often return to jail shortly after being published.