IDB Series: Crime and Violence in the Caribbean

IDB Series: Crime and Violence in the Caribbean from Caribbean Country Department IDB on Vimeo.

In this interview, Heather Sutton* discusses the latest findings on Crime and Violence in the Caribbean. Ms. Sutton recently edited the technical notes ‘IDB Series: Crime and Violence in the Caribbean’. Below you will find a short summary of the interview.

The pervasive effects of crime and violence can be seen in all parts of the world and the Caribbean is no exception. As part of an ongoing effort to document the size and dimensions of crime and violence in the Caribbean, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is launching a series of technical notes on The Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Based on police data and the literature of the region, the Series includes a description of the situation in each country. Each document also contains an explanation of the institutional frameworks that exist and the programs, projects, and initiatives that have been recently undertaken by governments and/or local organizations to counteract crime and violence.

Some Key findings:

• There is great interregional variance. It is important to recognize these differences and understand the unique dynamics of crime in each country to design relevant policies.

• While the main victims of crimes recorded by the police are young males, violence against women and children remains a concern. However, data on these types of violence is much more limited and largely unreliable.

• Efforts by government and other organizations have been undertaken to prevent and counteract crime and violence in the region; however, there is still little empirical evidence of what works given data gaps and lack of sound evaluation

• Although there is a sense of urgency to implement new violence prevention programs and strategies, investment in research and capacity-building for data collection and analysis should not be underemphasized.

• The continued testing and evaluation of policing and preventative programs is needed to gather equally valuable information about crime and violence.

If you are interested in learning more about the IDB’s comprehensive new research on “Crime and Violence in the Caribbean,”  please join our live Webinar on October 19th. IDB’s Heather Sutton and other citizen security experts will discuss the main findings of their research. We also want to encourage you to actively participate by sending us questions for response by our experts. 

Please register here:  https://digital-iadb.leadpages.co/crime-paradise-webinar-2/

* Heather Sutton is a consultant in Citizen Security at the Inter-American Development Bank