To get a full understanding of this beating video being circulated, I went to St Thomas to investigate. I went to the Morant Bay Police Station where the mother is being held. I went to The Bath Police Station, The Bath community,and the home of the child that was in the video.

Having visited these places unfortunately I wasn’t given the opportunity to speak with the mother. I, however, spoke to the police at both stations, CISOCA was incapable of giving information as the investigating officer was not present. I spoke extensively with the police in Bath, walked the community and spoke to the relatives and neighbours of the two seen in the video.

From the information I received I surmise that this is an ordeal with three victims. The victims are namely (1) the child who experienced the harsh punishment; (2) the mother who I suggest is a victim of our culture of physical punishment and the lack of both the existence and knowledge of adequate support services for parenting (especially) in rural areas; and (3) the public is a victim of the need to participate in trending moral condemnation and how quickly we jump to conclusions without information.

I find it unfortunate that the public’s first impulse was to make the same mistake the mother made, which was to apply the harshest punishment available to her.

I find from my interaction and information gathered that imprisonment has and would only satisfy the public’s call for blood. At current the child’s care is being monitored by the State, the mother is in jail, and the other children have been displaced to separate family homes.

It’s my initial assumption that situations like these could be better handled in a three-strikes approach, namely:

1) Parent being made to participate in mandatory parenting training for no less than 100 hours, while simultaneously effort be made to engineer behaviour modification on the child.

2) On the second offence the parent be made to participate in mandatory counselling, as well as a financial fine. While undergoing this counselling there will be temporary separation of child and parent.

3) Permanent separation and imprisonment

I will speak further on this matter after I have done further research to better advise myself on best practices globally and also include input from my colleagues.

Damion Crawford is the Opposition spokesperson on youth. Send comments to the Observer or forwardcrawford@gmail.com.