FILE
Three enthusiastic young men from the community of Hamilton Gardens point to the run down state of the drainage system in their community. Many of Jamaica's youth like these young men are calling for a holistic approach to societal problems - not just declarations about moral values, but an entire system of living.

Don Robotham, Contributor

More than 540 persons have been killed since January. The prime minister rightly called an emergency meeting on Thursday last. We need to act swiftly on short-term measures to address this situation. As I have repeatedly argued, the hot-spot strategy would not work.

After an initial loss of balance, the criminals have recovered and are coolly taking the measure of this strategy and our new commissioner of police. In their view, they have both cornered. They may well be right.

For, as soon as one hot spot is cooled another erupts. Sooner, rather than later, the entire Jamaica becomes one big hot spot. Further, as two recent cases have made amply clear, going the legal route of trying to put cases together for court convictions is laughable. It not only takes years but after all of this long work the cases collapse like a house of cards, as the witnesses are either intimidated or sent to join their ancestors. So it is either 'shoot to kill' or some other strategy within the framework of the rule of law.

Preventive detention strategy

'Shoot to kill' and 'kill and go' are out totally as far as I am concerned. That approach would throw us into even deeper chaos. What is needed in the short term is a system of preventive detention under the supervision of judicial authorities. This would include outright detention of criminals for as much as 90 days, as well as various court orders which enforce house arrest, adapting the United Kingdom system of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders to our situation. None of this will be easy to do but there is no easy solution, short or long term.

This will not 'solve' crime and that is not its intention. The purpose of preventive detention measures is to buy time for society to seize the initiative from the murderers. Within the period of time bought we would then make strenuous efforts to begin to seriously address some of the root causes of crime.

Stringent measures

The two proposals go together and cannot be separated. Harsh short-term measures which intrude on human rights combined with serious social interventions in youth programmes. If we impose stringent measures, as I am advocating, and do not use the time for the social interventions then we shall be worse off than before.

In light of the above I thought I would share with readers some of the material on youth views on the causes of crime which I collected some years ago. This research was made possible by the assistance of numerous persons. I thank my indefatigable research assistant in particular.

These interviews with inner-city youth cover a number of issues - unemployment, discrimination, politics, the police, education, and so forth. But the issue I wish to highlight most is the issue of values which Peter Espeut, Ian Boyne and others have raised over and over. This is a crucial issue, and what is most interesting is that this is precisely one of the areas that inner-city youth themselves raise.

However, a word of caution. The youth themselves nowhere use this word 'values' to characterise the issue. This is because the youth think of the question differently and, in fact, more deeply. To them what is at stake is not a matter of a code of moral principles - a values system. What is at stake for the youth is an entire system of living. In other words, morals must be lived or not espoused at all.

That is why so many youth use the Rastafarian term 'livity.' What these youth hold dear is not the abstract moral precepts in themselves but the actual unself-conscious realisation of such principles in the everyday life which people lead. How one spontaneously lives with one's neighbours, one's family, one's workmates, one's employees, one's fellow citizens, in practice - that's the issue for them. Values embodied in an actual way of living is the point. In fact, youth are highly aware of, on the lookout for, instantly recognise and despise the espousal of values in a purely 'wordical' manner. These youth are experts on Jamaican official hypocrisy.

Youth's view

Here is one such passage which gives you a good feel of how the youths see the problem:

"You see the crime thing now, like it embedded inna de youth-dem ... and as me say, the media, seen, come in pon dem now with certain thing and even inna certain music - cause is a subliminal thing a go on, you know? Even the food weh the people dem a eat - a dat ... everything work together, you know? Even the environment help mess up the people dem mind ..."

Two points stand out here. First is the coldly realistic assessment that crime is not just a passing thing for the youth, but has become "embedded" in them. This is a sobering thought indeed, which should force us to reflect deeply on ourselves and our society.

The second point of note follows from this first. Although this youth singles out the media for special blame he is really making a more general point about the characteristics of Jamaican society as a whole. The problem is not just this or that aspect of life in Jamaica. It's not just a matter of the police, or employment discrimination or the politicians taken singly. It's all of the above taken together - "everything work together." Even the food and the environment are at fault. The problem is the complete absence of 'livity' in contemporary Jamaica. The problem is the totality of contemporary Jamaican society and culture with its coarse and self-centred materialism.

Here is another quotation which further critiques Jamaican materialism, which is portrayed as an infection from within:

"But material crave, material crave - a it is the problem also. Because, this man set up him system, and him system is not fe benefit I and I. But I and I find pleasure in him system, which is only temporary pleasure."

"A whole heap a just idle stray a go on, cause, no man want fe go a country fe farm de land, you know, seen? So you done know ... so man a just tek say, you a hear me - a rich quick a go on, cause them say a dat, you know - man want a car, you know. But no man no want go do no hard work fe it."

Duty to help

Given this dire analysis, what sort of solutions do some youth see to a crisis of such magnitude? According to one view, although the Government has a duty to help, one must start with oneself:

"A you personally haffe free up yuself. But through how dem done set the system pon the people dem, say well, them look up to politician and say ... [voice in the background softly and barely audible: "colonialism"] ...Yeah, and say, well, a dem man can help them. And how them structure certain things, nuff youth a say well ...'cau' them bring in a get-rich-quick syndrome pon the youth dem, you know? Seen?"

"Even the government system is I and I enemy. Cause if it was not I and I enemy, it woulda create better lifestyle fi I and I. Not within - not even fi tell I say - is fi everyone have a bag ah material things neither. See wha mi a say? But it woulda teach I more of ever living life - always living life of an individual because this system - come come kill people daily. See weh mi a say?"

One big issue then is how to 'deprogramme' the minds of the youth and, in the end, the conclusion seems to be that you cannot do it by yourself:

"Well, as I and I and the I know seh, it hard fe do it by oneself. But if I and I ... the only objective we have in this time is that ... people mind are programmed. So I and I have to seek the power fe de-programme people mind. See wha I mean? Weh, people have fe go realise themself and know say, the ultimate is Life! Is not even what people tek on to themself in life, but is Life. Because there is nothing that a man can own without life. So, therefore, we have to preserve life and see to it that ones and ones lives."

"One of the time the I say to I self, 'Many a people don't look further than them eyelash' [laughing] One of the things weh I certain I haffe do is to go into I and I vision and look as far as I can look. And find out which kinda life will endure the longest. Which kinda state of life. Dat mean say if is material things that cannot endure fi the longest, I first haffe start teach I youth dem fi live without material things to a levels. The poor man might not know the power him have more time. You know what mi a say? But is because him give himself a headache fi gather material things, it cause impression upon him."

Heed the words of our youth!