Crime in Jamaica
Encyclopedia
Some areas of Jamaica
, particularly cities such as Kingston
, Montego Bay
and Spanish Town
, experience high levels of crime and violence. Jamaica has had one of the highest murder rates in the world for many years, according to UN
estimates. Former Prime Minister P. J. Patterson
described the situation as "a national challenge of unprecedented proportions".
In November 2008, the Jamaican Parliament
voted to retain the death penalty, which is performed by hanging.
There were 1,682 reported murders in 2009 and 1,428 in 2010. Since 2011 the murder rate has continued to fall following the downward trend started in 2010, with increases in police patrols, curfews and more effective anti-gang activities.
reported that brutality against homosexuals, mainly by private citizens, was widespread in 2008. Homosexuality is illegal in Jamaica
, incurring a prison sentence. Many Jamaicans are hostile toward LGBT
and intersex people, and several mob attacks against gay people have been reported.
Some critics claim that attacks on gay people are encouraged in some popular Jamaican dancehall
/reggae
songs that are sometimes referred to as murder music. The country has been called "the most homophobic place on earth" by human-rights groups.
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, particularly cities such as Kingston
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
, Montego Bay
Montego Bay
Montego Bay is the capital of St. James Parish and the second largest city in Jamaica by area and the fourth by population .It is a tourist destination with duty free shopping, cruise line terminal and the beaches...
and Spanish Town
Spanish Town
Spanish Town is the capital and the largest town in the parish of St. Catherine in the county of Middlesex, Jamaica. It was the former Spanish and English capital of Jamaica from the 16th to the 19th century...
, experience high levels of crime and violence. Jamaica has had one of the highest murder rates in the world for many years, according to UN
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
estimates. Former Prime Minister P. J. Patterson
P. J. Patterson
Percival Noel James Patterson, ON, QC, PC, O.E., was the sixth Prime Minister of Jamaica from 1992 to 2006. Until February 2006 he was the leader of the Jamaican People's National Party . The new PNP leader, Portia Simpson-Miller, took over as Prime Minister on 30 March 2006...
described the situation as "a national challenge of unprecedented proportions".
Murder rate
In 2005, Jamaica had 1,674 murders for a murder rate of 58 per 100,000 people. That year, Jamaica had the highest murder rate in the world.In November 2008, the Jamaican Parliament
Parliament of Jamaica
The Parliament of Jamaica is the legislative branch of the government of Jamaica. It is a bicameral body, composed of an appointed Senate and an elected House of Representatives....
voted to retain the death penalty, which is performed by hanging.
There were 1,682 reported murders in 2009 and 1,428 in 2010. Since 2011 the murder rate has continued to fall following the downward trend started in 2010, with increases in police patrols, curfews and more effective anti-gang activities.
Violence against homosexuals
The U.S. Department of StateUnited States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
reported that brutality against homosexuals, mainly by private citizens, was widespread in 2008. Homosexuality is illegal in Jamaica
LGBT rights in Jamaica
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender rights in Jamaica are dominated by the prohibition of sexual acts between men. Sexual acts between women are legal, by virtue of the absence of any reference to them in law...
, incurring a prison sentence. Many Jamaicans are hostile toward LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
and intersex people, and several mob attacks against gay people have been reported.
Some critics claim that attacks on gay people are encouraged in some popular Jamaican dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
/reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
songs that are sometimes referred to as murder music. The country has been called "the most homophobic place on earth" by human-rights groups.