Yvon Dandurand, Abeni Steegstra and Vivienne Chin

While the crime situation varies among countries, surveys and available statistical data show that crime is a pervasive and pressing issue throughout the Caribbean region, with increasingly higher rates of violent crime, drug trafficking and gang activity. Countries such as Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago are facing some of the highest murder rates in the world, as well as a high rates of youth and gender-based violence. in the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) countries, crime remains a significant challenge threatening the safety and security of citizens, undermining social and economic development, and eroding public trust in law enforcement and judicial institutions.

In addition to local crimes, CARICOM governments and agencies are challenged to address transnational criminal elements – including for example the trafficking of illicit drugs, firearms, and humans – and coordinate their activities across borders. Caribbean leaders are keenly aware of these challenges and, in April 2023, Heads of governments joined a broad range of stakeholders including police commissioners, academics, religious and non-governmental organizations and crime experts to examine the crime problem in the region and approach it as a public health issue that requires a comprehensive crime prevention and reduction approach that is not solely focused on the traditional criminal justice approach of retribution, imprisonment, rehabilitation and restoration.

At the recent CANADA-CARICOM Summit, leaders discussed key security challenges in the region, including illicit trafficking of weapons and drugs, and surging violent crime. With increasing calls from Caribbean leaders for the international community to further engage with them in addressing the crime situation in the region, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) commissioned ICCLR to conduct a gap analysis on crime prevention and criminal justice response interventions.

The main objective of the review was to inform discussions and decisions on the role that Canada can play to help address, at the national and regional levels, the increasing crime levels in the Caribbean. The report offers recommendations in relation to crime prevention interventions to address the risk factors associated with criminal behaviour as well as interventions to respond to criminal activities and reduce future crime through deterrence and offender rehabilitation and reintegration.[1]

The analysis identified several gaps in three main areas: (i) measures to strengthen the criminal justice system’s responses to crime and deter or reduce it; (ii) measures to control gang violence, transnational organized crime, and emerging crimes; and (iii) measures to prevent violence and crime, including at the school and community levels and measures to prevent recidivism and reintegrate offenders.

[1] For access to the full report: https://icclr.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Gap-Analysis-on-Crime-Prevention-in-CARICOM.pdf?x60557