CAPE

Caribbean Studies Internal Assignment

2020-2021

Name: Kayla Benloss

Center Number: 100041

Candidate Number: 1000410061

School: Green Island High

Territory: Jamaica

Teacher: Mrs R. Grinion

Topic: The Effects of Crime in Montego Bay

Table of Contents

Introduction 3-4

Literature Review 5-6

Data Collection Sources 7-8

Presentation of Data 9-13

Interpretation of Data 14-15

Discussion of Findings 16-18

Conclusion 19

Limitation 20

Recommendation 21-22

References 23

Appendix 24
Introduction

Crime has become a major problem in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Since recently there are many

criminal activities at the homes of residents. Some of these criminal activities are stealing and

murders. This increased criminal activity of this problem has captivated attention from the

governmental organizations such as the Jamaica Constabulary Force for the prevention of crime

and also the Ministry of National Security. Residents are concerned and expressed their concerns

about the increase in the crime rate of Montego Bay.

The title of the study is “A survey of the effects of crime on the residents of Montego Bay.”

Montego Bay is a city of Jamaica comprising of many communities. There are over 500,000

persons populated in the city of Montego Bay. This research aims to discover about the kinds of

criminal activities are committed? How often these criminal activities occur? Who are most

affected by the criminals who commit these crimes and what solutions if any have been put in

place?

This study can be seen as a research with vast educational value. Crime continues to be a major

issue in Jamaica but the Montego Bay is mostly affected by crime. When you’re able to increase

your knowledge on the background of criminals and criminal activities can give insights. This

research will allow you to know the reasons why the criminal activities are occurring. My study

will help to benefit me in my classes and to answer essay questions effectively. It will also

benefit the government and Minister of National Security. The Police and other persons benefit

from my research study to help them to know what causes the rapid increase in criminal

activities. The study can also be use to implement plans and strategies and exterminate the
problem because the resident can use this research to see how best they hcan decrease the level

of crime rate in Montego Bay.

Definition

Crime is any breach which constitutes an offence and is punishable by law

Residents of Montego Bay: People living in Montego Bay in March 2021

Globalization

This is the process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or

start operating on an international scale.

Literature Review

In order to comprehend the effects of crime in Montego Bay, a number of sources were

examined.. Before doing the research an explanation of “What is Crime”? And “What is

considered to be a criminal activity?” will be explored.

According to Darrow in the book Crime: Its Causes and Treatment, crime can be defined as an

“act prohibited by the law of the country” and anyone who significantly breaks the law will

receive warrant providing penalties for its commission. Another way crime can be defined is

Crime is “any breach which constitutes an offence and is punishable by law.” Based on these

definitions about crime we can suggest that it’s the law states what activities are legal and what

activities are inappropriate for the people to engage in.

According to Lawson in the book Crime and Deviance implied that any individual action that is

being conducted can be referred to a criminal or non criminal activity but it is based on the

circumstances surrounding its commission. He realized that other factors were forsaken.

However, those were the most important factors that contribute to the unlawful act. Some of

these roles comprise of: the role of the law enforcement agencies, how both the victim and

offender contributed to that action being performed.

It is presume that urban areas are most likely to maintain an increase in criminal activities than

rural areas. The presumption was based on the fact that rural areas have more comparable social

structure that is more compatible and non- segregated than in the urban areas. However, this

presumption has changed over the years. According to ISA Handbook in Contemporary

Sociology by Deflem and cited by Ann B. Dennis and others, this book summarized the

contrasting types of planned criminal activities that occur in the urban areas. Here are some of
these criminal activities: burglary, robbery and fraud. Based on the book other crime that occurs

in the rural areas is: theft, trespassing, vandalism and murder (small scale). Murder still

continues to increase in the rural areas.

Ann B Dennis and other authors also explained that these criminal activities have many

consequences on the resident living in the particular area. She also outlined that many residents

will feel exploited and intimidated in the location they reside. As a result of the increase in

criminal activities globalization will start to take place and persons will want to migrate from

that location to another location that is discern as safer.

Data Collection Sources
Research Design

Applied Research will be used in carrying out this study. This study will collect information

from residents in Montego Bay on the incidence of crime and how it affects the area. Applied

Research using calculable methods is an appropriate method of studying the effects of crime in

Montego Bay because no methodology data exists on the issue and the perspective of the

residents are crucial in deciding the effects of crime in Montego Bay.

Method of Data Collection

The method of data collection is an online questionnaire that was done. A questionnaire is a set

of pre-set questions given to persons who make up the population of the study. A questionnaire

as a method of data collection that is appropriate since it collects quantitative data. It is

comparatively easy to distribute and conception can also be made based on the data collected and

applied to this case to the residents of Montego Bay.

A conventional questionnaire was created to collect data from respondents. There were sixteen

(16) close ended questions and three (3) open ended questions.

Selection of Data

Montego Bay is a large area with a large population. With this pandemic only 75 persons were

chosen to complete the questionnaire.

Collection of Data

The study was conducted in March 2021. The study was collected for three weeks from March 1

to March 15. The questionnaires were distributed to different residents in Montego Bay and also

it was done online using the Google Forms Platform. The face to face respondents was given
three days to complete the questionnaires and return them to the researcher while the online

platform respondents did it same time.

Analysis and Presentation of Data

The Type of Crime that mainly occur in Montego Bay

50%
45%
40%
No. Of Respondents

35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Theft Rape Burgarly Assault Trespassing Other
Crime Commited

Figure 1 is a column bar that shows the number of residents who selected the type of crime that

mainly occur in Montego Bay

 Cause of Crimes in Montego Bay

1%
15% Lack of Education
20%
Unemployment
Gangs/Groups
Lack of Parental Control
4%
Poverty
Other
13%

47%

Figure 2 is a pie chart showing the percentages of residents who selected the different causes of

crime.
 Type of Family/Household the criminals come Responses
from Amount %

Single Parent Family 35 47%

Nuclear Family 10 13%

Extended Family 10 13%

Sibling household 20 27%

The table shows the type of household that criminals may live in.
 Effect of Crime on Residents
Other
Effect of Crime

Insecurity

Physical Hurt

Death

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Number of Residents

Figure 3 is a bar graph shows the effects of crime on residents in Montego Bay.

Table 2: A table showing the demographic data of respondents

 Age Group Amount % Gender Amount %

Under 20 15 20 Female 55 73

21-30 30 40

31-40 15 20 Male 20 27

41-50 10 13

Over 50 5 6.7

Table 2 shows the demographic data of respondents. This includes the age group and gender of

the respondents who have answered the questions.

Interpretation of Findings

Based on the findings of the study, it can be conclude that the population in Montego Bay is a

youthful one. Out of seventy five (75) persons questioned, 20% of them were under 20 years.

Residents between age group 21-30 make up 40% of the population in Montego Bay and 20%

make up the population for the age group, 31-40. For the age group 31-40 13% of the population

was respondents to the questionnaire and only 6.7% of the population responds to the

questionnaire that were over 50 years old.

The majority of the crimes committed in Montego Bay are burglary and theft which was

indicated by 47% and 20% of the respondents respectively. This is obvious because a large

amount of persons have burglar bars at their doors and windows. There were 13% of the

respondents who chose rape while 6.7% of the respondents chose assault as a crime committed.

It is only 4% chose trespassing as a crime committed and 2.7% respondent chose ‘Other’ as the

type of crime.

In my research, I found out about the type of household that the criminals have grown up in.

47% of the respondents chose that the criminals are from Single Parent Family. 27% of the

respondents indicated that criminals would come from a sibling household. 13% of the

respondents chose both nuclear and extended family that the criminals would come from. It is

clear that the family household without two or more parental figures that’s where the criminal

originate from.

According to the findings the main cause of crime in Montego Bay are unemployment and

poverty. Unemployment was indicated by 47% of the respondents while poverty was chose by

20% of the respondents. It can be conclude that the criminals are very poor and they probably
don’t have the necessities to sustain life because they are unemployed so instead they commit

crimes.

In my study, I have found out the effects that crime may have on the people in Montego Bay.

60% of the respondents indicated that death is an effect of crime on them because sometimes

they have close relatives or friends that die innocently. 20% of the respondents chose insecurity.

13% of the s indicated that they have been physically hurt because of the criminal activities

while only 6.70% of the respondents selected other. Other response were economic loss or

family problems

In my research residents were asked if they would leave the area and move to a safer area

because of the increase in criminal activities in Montego Bay. 70% of the residents indicated that

they would migrate to a safer region.

When examining the responses from the question, “What do you think the residents of Montego

Bay can do to reduce crime in their community”? Some respondents stated that we should

communicate with the police more. Other respondents say implement more cctv cameras. We

should have programmes for youths where they can be trained and they earn a little stipend.

They should have meetings where we would come together and talk about how to prevent crime.

Most respondents say that residents should point perpetrators and suspected persons in the area.

Most persons say that neighborhood watch should be in every community. In addition to that

another question was what they think the government can do to curb the issue of crime in

Montego Bay. Most respondents were about that the government should provide more

employment facilities, organize counseling sessions for criminals, train police on crime

prevention and make laws for harsher penalties with crime related offences.
Discussion of the Findings

My research indicated that residents in Montego Bay, an urban area, had an increased in criminal

activities being committed on citizens. Montego Bay was known to be a peaceful and non-

violent area. However, since recent times there has been an increase in the criminal activities in

Montego Bay.

In addition my research has indicated that majority of crimes committed in Montego Bay was

burglary and theft. The other type of crime committed was rape and assault that was indicated by

the article. The other type of crime committed was trespassing.

Crime has negative effects on the residents in Montego Bay. Many residents may have suffered

from agonizing experiences as a result of criminal activities. From my research it was indicated

that the majority of the respondents feel victimized or exploited and they feel unsafe because of

the area that they are living because of the increase in criminal activities in the area. This is

because they are unknown to which crime might occur. Some residents are worried about

whether or not they will be affected by the crime or if their immediate family members will be

affected. This supported Denis (2009) who pointed out that some persons may feel victimized or

threatened in the location they are currently living, this will result in a force of globalization and

then persons will migrate. My research supports the final part of that point. Some persons in

Montego Bay say they might migrate out of the parish to a safer place if the criminal activities

continue to increase.

Denis (2009) also indicated that in her book that residents will feel threatened. My research also

stated that residents won’t only feel uncertain but also they are normally physically hurt. They

are physically hurt when they try to protect themselves and property and sometimes that method
doesn’t work. It is presumed that criminals while entering the home of residents to steal their

personal belongings, residents will try to protect their personal belongings even though they are

physically hurt.

Jobes et al (2004) pointed out that social and cultural factors can explain why these criminal

activities are being committed. In my research I found that the main causes of crime is poverty,

lack of education and unemployment in Montego Bay. Jobes et al (2004) said that the poorer

educational facilities and fewer opportunities for employment causes the young people to turn to

crime as an alternative. However, my findings didn’t support this point. This is because

Montego Bay surrounded by hundreds of schools in the area and jobs opportunity such as call

center is available who always recruiting persons every day. The reason why criminals still

persist to engage in criminal activities is because they are too lazy and chose not to work for

what they want. They want to reap the benefit of other people’s work rather than getting paid the

work they have done. The young people nowadays prefer the easy living kind of lifestyle. In

addition to that they dislike going to and performing at school because they feel as if the

demands and commitment at school is not worth it in the long run.

There are other social and cultural factors that could explain the causes of crime or the type of

household these criminals originate from. My research indicated that the crimes being

committed, criminals mainly are from single parent family and sibling households. These are

ones who most likely be the poor persons since the two parental figure are not there to provide

not only financial support but moral support. This point of view was supported by Jobes et al

when they mentioned about the factors that may influence someone to commit a crime. Some of

these criminals who are living alone are not going to school. Therefore, they may not have an

education which is a key factor in getting a job.

Conclusion

This research was a survey about the effects of crime in Montego Bay, Jamaica. The purpose of

the study was pursued to determine what kind of criminal activities were being committed in

Montego Bay, how frequent does the criminal activities occur, who are the persons affected by

the criminal activities, who engage in the criminal activities and what measures are put in place

to fix this problem in the area. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that high level of

criminal activities that have been taken place in Montego Bay. These criminal activities have a

negative impact on the residents living in the area. Some of the effects the persons faced

physical hurt, loss of personal belonging death and insecurity. These effects have result in

residents relocating from the area because the residents now see the area as unsafe so they would

move to area that is view as a safer place. Some of these factors that contribute to the crimes

being committed by criminals are social and cultural factors such as the type of household and

that these criminals come from poverty, lack of education and unemployment.
Limitations

Data collection was limited administering questionnaires since it’s a pandemic and the

movement flow to go around in the area to collect data; I wasn’t able to do so. Most of my

results were collecting through the online survey platform, Google forms and some was done

face to face. The sample size was too small and it only applied to one parish in Jamaica.

Montego Bay is a growing place and known to be a peaceful place before criminal activities took

over. There was another difficulty experience in the distribution of the questionnaires since it

would be normally in the later afternoons when residents are home or either coming from work.

When the residents are home they would normally be occupied with domestic chores and other

affairs while when they are coming from work they are in a hurry to try to get home on time

because of curfew in my country, Jamaica. As a result the respondents took more time to answer

and return the questionnaires. Another limitation for this study is whether the information given

by the respondents was accurate. Some respondents may not have give given credible responses

because they think it’s better not to say anything. This would affect the accuracy of the research.
Recommendation

In minimizing the negative effects of residents in Montego Bay experience from criminal

activities, the following recommendations were made:

1. According to the respondents, based on the type of crime that has been committed by

criminals. Instead of using imprisonment as a form of punishment, criminal offenders

must be counseled and be educated about the effects that criminal activities may have on

residents. A trained counselor would be recruited to keep counseling sessions. These

sessions are to be conducted twice a week Monday and Thursday for two (2) hours (5pm-

7pm). The counseling session will be at St John’s Methodist Church in a private room.

Group sessions would also be offered on Wednesdays for two (2) hours (5pm-7pm). The

counseling will depend on the criminals mental health

2. Education about how to protect yourself from criminals for the residents in Montego Bay.

This includes protecting your personal belonging and their property. A neighbourhood

watch can be put in place in all the communities of Montego Bay. Then the community

board can establish an annual awareness month campaign on crime and crime prevention.

In this campaign, residents in Montego Bay can meet at a public center where persons

will listen to exiting lectures from special speakers who will be lecturing on crime and

how to protect themselves from any criminal who try to commit criminal activities. The

minister and government representatives can attend and listen to the voices of the

Montego Bay residents on how they think they can minimize the negative effects of

crime.
3. High Fines and penalties for criminal activities committed by criminals especially when it

involves residents and their personal belongings can be used when imprisonment is not

practical.

4. The Government of Jamaica should provide more employment to more persons who are

unemployed and more likely commit criminal activities.

Bibliography
Lawson, T & Heaton, T (1999) Crime and Defiance ,UK, PALGRAVE Publishers

Mohammed , J, (2009) CAPE Caribbean Studies : An Interdisciplinary Approach, Oxford, UK :

MacMillan Publishers.

Dorrow, C, (2007) Crime: It Causes and Treatments, Echo Library 2007 Publishers Retrieved
(February 24, 2021) from

Crime Causes & treatment.pdf (umn.edu)

Denis, A & Kalekin- Fishman, D, 2009 ISA Handbook in Contemporary Sociology Retrieved on
(March 1,2021)

The ISA Handbook in Contemporary Sociology - Google Books

Appendix
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScIfEUjZk2u2ch-yDWHXqK1Dy-
Z9SBXfexvYpCMyvxRbNCm6g/viewform?usp=sf_link