Sometimes we just believe something is so. We do not even remember why we believe it, we just do.

Take for example welfare in the United States. We almost all believe that the largest group on State benefits are blacks and Hispanics, but it is not, it is whites!

Is this because we are misled? Or maybe it is subliminal. I do not know, but this type of programming is not limited to American racial stereotypes.

In Jamaica we are all programmed to believe that criminals, especially super criminals, do not ever feel the bite of the law. But is it so? Let us discuss.

The major criminals in Jamaica’s last two decades would be Christopher “Dudus” Coke, Donovan “Bulby” Bennett, Tesha Miller, Joel Andem, Christopher “Dog Paw” Linton, and Adijah “Vybz Kartel” Palmer.

The above list speaks primarily to notoriety, but would be a fair assessment of most problematic and destructive.

So let us look at their rise and fall.

We start with Bulby. He was the founder of St Catherine’s most notorious gang — Klansman. This gang formalised extortion in Jamaica and to this day has it down to a science. Virtually every vendor, taxi man and imported Chinese entrepreneur in Spanish Town pays them a tithe. This money is at the centre of brutal killings between its splinter groups and political rivals.

Well, this ‘don’ fell to police bullets in 2006 after being wanted for many years. Hmmmm, I think he felt the bite of the law.

Joel Andem became famous after the abduction and murder of gas station owner Sylvia Edwards, in July 2000. Soon after, he became wanted for several other murders and police shootings. After an extended period of time he was held, tried and convicted in the Gun Court. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison by a High Court judge.

Christopher Linton, also known as Dog Paw, was a notorious gang leader from August Town. He, too, was convicted and sentenced to 15 years by the Gun Court. His notoriety and fame were short-lived, but brutal.

Christopher “Dudus” Coke is by far the most notorious gunman and gang leader in modern history. Many will say we cannot claim this conviction as ours, but remember we caught him, not them — and it was our armed forces that destroyed his fort in search of him. The Americans had to invade Panama when they wanted Manuel Noriega. We handed over Dudus gift-wrapped — wig and all.

The one that will resonate in our minds the most though is Adijah “Vybz Kartel” Palmer. He was as popular for his music as he was for being the head of ‘Gaza’, a massive gang in Portmore allegedly linked to over 100 murders. He was convicted for the murder of his own fellow gang member and friend, the famous Clive “Lizard” Williams.

Make note, only one of the above named fell to police bullets.

The stereotype that judicial justice is avoided is fuelled by the fact that many famous gunmen before them fell by bullets, namely Tivoli Gardens’ Claudius Massop, Downtown Kingston’s Feather Mop, Concrete Jungle’s Anthony Tingle, aka General Starkey, and, of course, more recently, Arnett Gardens’ William “Willy Haggard” Moore.

The last two decades though have shown a sharp trend towards trials. These trials, unknown to most, come at the expense of long hours worked by detectives and technical services and operations personnel. They also cost the Government a lot of money — money that our health services desperately need.

The solution? The Anti-Gang Legislation needs modification that makes it less dependent on internal gang cooperation with law enforcement and more geared to evidence gathered by gang experts. That way if the gang expert says you are in a gang it can become evidence. This would save us the cost of relying on civilian testimony and lower the cost by millions.

People would say that some of them were not convicted for murder. Well, I say they only have one body, and as long as that body is in a cage then that is good enough for me. America’s most famous gangster, Al Capone, was convicted for tax evasion. Let us learn from that example.

So to all who thought that crime pays and there is no real justice, think again. The conviction of Tesha Miller recently showed the unrelenting efforts of law enforcement to take down kingpins in Jamaican courts of law. Remember, this is the second time he has been convicted and sentenced. His last successful appeal did not dampen the enthusiasm, but rather motivated the system to get him for one of his many other crimes.

The Vybz Kartel trial is a demonstration of technology and keen criminal investigation at a First World level. If his appeal gives him a retrial it will not be because of the investigation, but because of the corrupted jury member and the issues he created.

So do not believe everything you are programmed to. Take time and research what you are force-fed. And for those who believe being the don makes you unpunishable, there is always a square foot of hell waiting for you at Tower Street.

Feedback: jasonamckay@gmail.com