Crime, Violence, and Development : Trends, Costs, and Policy Options in the Caribbean
The report on Crime, violence, and development: trends, costs, and policy options in the Caribbean, is organized as follows. It begins with an overview of crime in the region, separately considering conventional and organized crime. Two subsequent...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Policy Note |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Washington, DC
2012
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2007/03/7597997/crime-violence-development-trends-costs-policy-options-caribbean http://hdl.handle.net/10986/7687 |
| Summary: | The report on Crime, violence, and
development: trends, costs, and policy options in the
Caribbean, is organized as follows. It begins with an
overview of crime in the region, separately considering
conventional and organized crime. Two subsequent chapters
examine risk factors and the costs of crime for the region
as a whole. Next, a series of chapters presents case studies
designed to highlight particular issues in specific
countries. These case studies were chosen in order to
provide a detailed analysis of the most pressing issues that
are amenable to policy making at the regional and national
levels. The specific issues were chosen in consultation with
stakeholders in the region to ensure that the report was
responding to their demands and needs. The report ends with
a chapter on public policy responses to crime in the region.
The report states that through multiple channels, crime and
violence threaten the welfare of Caribbean citizens. Beyond
the direct effect on victims, crime and violence inflict
widespread costs, generating a climate of fear for all
citizens and diminishing economic growth. Crime and violence
present one of the paramount challenges to development in
the Caribbean. Moreover, the study believes that several
factors which cut across the diverse countries of the region
heighten their vulnerability to crime and violence. Primary
among these is the region's vulnerability to drug
trafficking. Wedged between the world's source of
cocaine to the south and its primary consumer markets to the
north, the Caribbean is the transit point for a torrent of
narcotics, with a street value that exceeds the value of the
entire legal economy. Compounding their difficulties,
Caribbean countries have large coastlines and territorial
waters and many have weak criminal justice systems that are
easily overwhelmed. The study stress that the Governments of
the Caribbean countries recognize the seriousness of the
problem and are exploring innovative policy responses at
both the national and regional levels. Civil society
organizations are doing their part as well by designing and
implementing violence prevention programs targeting youth
violence, violence against women, and other important forms
of violence. The report concludes that much, however,
remains to be done. |
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