LETTER: Crime is not Jamaica's real problem

THE EDITOR, Madame:

We have finally passed the anti-gang legislation. But where do we go from here? It seems that the House of Parliament has become the ‘House of Tomfoolery’.

How can we address the crime situation in Jamaica without addressing the dire socio-economic problem? What is going to happen is that we are simply going to lock up a lot of uneducated young men, then allow the jail or prison system to turn them into hardened criminals.

While I am in support of any measure that can reduce crime, I am not in support of policies which paper over the cracks. We need to simply get these young people into real jobs by getting them real education so that they can not only improve their economic situation, but their social environment.

We could pass a million bills in the House of Tomfoolery, we will not achieve anything until we address the real problems in society. The real problem is not crime. The real problem lies in our socio-economic conditions. Crime is a mere derivative of these symptoms.

I AM, etc,
MARCUS BLACKSTOCK
Greater Portmore, St Catherine
blackstockmarcus@yahoo.com

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