Our Readers' Opinions
March 5, 2013

Are criminals born or made?

Tue Mar 05, 2013

Editor: In St Vincent and the Grenadines, and the Caribbean to a larger extent, crime and deviant behaviour is no doubt on the increase, creating extreme problems for law enforcement officers, social workers and governments.{{more}}

This social phenomenon also occupies the minds of sociologists and physiologists who argue is this “criminal born or made”?

First, what is crime? This social evil is defined as a “deviant act committed by a person or group of persons against the law of a country”. Some sociologists argue that crime and deviant behaviour is healthy for the survival of society, in that it is through the behaviour of the criminals that the authorities are prompted to make laws to keep such persons or person in check.

Some put forward the notion that the laws of any modern day society are only made to keep poor people in check and to prosecute them. They claim that despite the existing laws, they do not seem to apply to the politicians, that lawyer, and some persons of the upper class in the society. Hence they ask the questions: Who made the laws? Who breaks the laws? And who is likely to get caught and prosecuted?

Another notion put forward is that a person is a criminal and commits deviant behaviour only because some persons of influence label their action as a crime or deviant behaviour. Also, there is the argument that persons who are born short and stocky with short arms, big ears, a small head, etc, are likely to be criminals and commit deviant behaviour. Whether these notions are right or wrong, it’s up for debate and maybe verification through studies of the subjects in our society today.
 
It must be noted that when an individual is born into this world, he or she is innocent and unaware of his environment; hence such individuals learn the culture, values, norms, morals and laws of the society through the process of socialization and its agents, which are the home, school, church, mass media, peer groups and the work place. Through these socialization agents, the individual grows, learns and reacts accordingly to his or her environment and circumstances. However, if the governments of St Vincent and the Grenadines and the wider Caribbean are to tackle crime and deviant behaviour seriously, serious attention must be made to address these socialization agents.
 
It will require a collective effort from all; radical and robust changes will have to be made, there may be political fall-outs, but we cannot simply sit down ideally and idealess and watch the fabric of our communities being eroded by criminals and deviant behaviour.

My suggestion is that the government implements and enforces compulsory education from pre-school to secondary level. Two, the government continues its policy and programmes towards strengthening the poor and single parents. Three, strengthen the laws and penalties for child maintenance in the family court. Four, restructure the prison system, with special emphasis on reform and rehabilitation of individuals; for example, the length of time they receive for a crime must be enough for these individuals to learn a skill that will fit them back into society to earn a living, such as tailoring, woodwork, farming, welding etc.
 
Five, the church and school, along with the home, must develop a close relationship in socializing the individual. Six, community based organizations must be encouraged and strengthened across the country with the view of attracting young people. Seven, sporting facilities must be made available in the communities for young people to play and develop their sporting talent. Eight, there is the need for more technical and vocational training centres in the communities to facilitate skills training for the young people and the unemployed.

The government must be commended for their efforts in addressing the issue such as the Pan Against Crime programme, the YES programme and the education revolution; however, more needs to be done. The private sector and the rest of the community must lend a hand to assist if we are going to effectively curb this social evil of crime.

In my view, it is the society which shapes us into a human being and helps us to remain human beings; hence, a criminal is beings; made rather than born.

Gerald Primus

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