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11th
Feburary 2010
A State
Of Crime
By Carlton Ishmael
Ironically,
the buzz word these days is CRIME. It’s
a subject that seem to have taken over our headlines
and has many a person disturbed about the turn
of events as it pertains to the escalation of
criminal activity on the island. Needless to
say, like it or not, criminality has its benefits
(to many more than we think) -- and for those
that have chosen it as a way of life or survival,
it means the State would have to find a way
to convince these individuals that there is
an alternative survival means.
Let us start this argument by accepting that
greed is the basis of all crime. If one is discontented
with their earning power or because of shortfalls
in their ability to achieve the things that
they would like to possess, or have themselves
identified with, then it is logical that they
would seek alternative avenues to reach their
goal or meeting their needs and the wants they
are craving for.
Morality or ethics need not always be factored
into that equation, considering that in life
one has to live by one’s choice of values.
Then there are the elements of jealousy -- where
a person tries to also have what their counterparts
have -- and sometimes won’t mind doing
what it takes to achieve it by any means, legal
or illegal. And, there are the influences of
persons who encourage one to participate, or
take risk, in various endeavors, giving them
the assurance that if successful, the benefits
derived can be overwhelming.
For example, if a young lady is unemployed and
feels to herself that she is an under-achiever,
she becomes a perfect candidate to target to
be a drug ‘mule’, so it does not
take much convincing to offer her a paid return
ticket to a metropolitan country, plus a place
of lodging and boarding, and a promise that
if the deal goes well a couple thousand dollars
will come her way on her return home.
In the same way, if a guy gets a chance to do
a ‘drug run’ to Martinique and is
promised ‘Five Grand’ for his effort,
why not take the chance? Especially if the head
dealer promises to bail him if he gets caught?
The male ‘runner’ assesses that
it would take him one day to earn what he may
have had to earn in five months if he had a
regular, legal, paid job.
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Today’s
thinking is to gain as much as you can for
as little effort as you can give. It is not
unusual to find cheaters in all walks of life,
even those that appear legitimate and legal.
Hence the reason why people in stable professions
-- especially tradesmen -- look for different
ways to rip off their clients. The fact is,
some may get caught and others may get away
with murder.
So, knowing that we live in a corrupt society,
are there any solutions to this growing problem
of crime? Well, there are no guarantees, but
certain measures can be put in place to deter
would-be criminals from taking risks, if stiffer
penalties are imposed in some circumstances
and examples are made of those who are caught,
it would reinforce the theory that if you
can do the crime then you can serve the time,
or pay the penalty for your actions. Why should
a person pushing drugs worry about being caught
if the fine for such a crime is a meager $500?
In most cases, the perpetrators can pay the
fine with one day’s ‘work’.
If found with an unlicensed firearm, the penalty
is about the same. So, why worry? And far
less, if you commit murder. Chances are you
may not get caught; and if you are, depending
on your legal support, you will go free. And
if, for some reason, all else fails, the system
will give you the necessary protection --
and all the human rights defenders will come
to your rescue. And, in the meantime, the
State will pay for your upkeep.
Another ploy used by criminals is to scare
the nation into thinking that if anyone ‘squeals’
and the person is found out, then they will
become the next victim. There is a common
trend of thought that suggests that there
are no secrets kept, especially by those who
swear to uphold the law. So, persons who may
have information about a particular criminal
action or activity are forced to stay quiet
to protect themselves from the wrath of the
criminals.
Do you think with all these options open to
the criminals, our crime will subside? I don’t
think so.
So, I suppose, if we have become helpless
and do not have the will or the means to put
an end to this criminal dilemma, then we’ll
have to just let life take its course. In
which case, may we doomed because of our unwillingness
to act!
Discuss
Story
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