Dear Editor,

Gangs and their leaders have bewitched so many Jamaican youth, robbing them of the opportunities for self-aggrandisement and to be progressive nation-builders.

For a slim minority the Jamaican gangster lifestyle offers short-lived, illicit opportunities to acquire fancy cars, money, glamour, and a sense of power. However, most gang members do not access these so-called benefits and opportunities.

Without a doubt, those involved in Jamaica’s criminal underworld eventually progress down the rabbit hole of terror and devastation. Gang members live in constant fear, they are exposed to physical violence, psychological trauma, isolation, and face extraordinarily high rates of imprisonment and early deaths. Jamaican gangs are total institutions and once you become entrapped, there is no positive way out. To put it bluntly, the gangster life guarantees two things: the jail cell and/or the grave.

Recently the Commissioner of Police Major General Antony Anderson informed the nation that 875 charges were laid against youth between the ages of 15 and 17 years old for serious crimes and violence. This data from the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) reveal a grim reality about the inclusion of the nation’s children as perpetrators and victims of deadly violence.

This is a clarion call to Jamaica youth, especially to the nations’ boys, to stay away from the culture of badness and the toxic allure of gangsterism. It is a dead-end road full of sorrow, regret, and emptiness.

Criminologists conclude that individuals who are members of gangs should anticipate an early death, given that gangsters tend to live in high-risk environments. In general, research suggests that the average life expectancy of gang members (especially males) ranges between 20 to 30 years old. The mortality rate for male gang members is three times higher than males who have no gang membership or affiliation. If a gang member lives beyond their 30s in Jamaica, they are called elders within the “system”. Life expectancy in Jamaica currently stands at 75 years. Gang membership cuts this in half and a premature death is a likely outcome. The following factors severely jeopardise the lives of Jamaican gangsters: confrontation with the police, attacks from rival gangsters, and internal gang disputes.

Gangsters involved in violent crimes are frequently pursued by the Jamaica Constabulary Force, often in partnership with the Jamaica Defence Force. The consistency and effectiveness of these operations can be debated; however, make no mistake, the Jamaican State has demonstrated that it has the capacity to track, confront, and when necessary, neutralise gangsters. Operation Relentless II, launched in September of this year, is an example of the police’s capabilities. Quite often, these joint police-military operations result in the imprisonment or death of gang members.

The life of a gangster is always in peril. While gangs are watching out for police raids, they are also hypervigilant of their rivals. In Jamaica’s garrison communities, drive-by and drive-through shootings from rival gangs are constant realities for which gang members must be prepared. Additionally, gangsters place death contracts on their rivals and, as such, every Jamaican “bad man” is hypersensitive about where he goes and is suspicious of strangers he meets. Unfortunately, when gang rivals cannot find their intended target, family and close friends of that individual are sometimes attacked. One unique feature of Jamaican gangsterism is the fact that a “hit” never goes away, it’s unfading.

Death and destruction is also exported beyond the shores of the island. Homicides and turf wars perpetuated by Jamaican gangs in the UK, Canada, and the US demonstrate that, even while overseas, the gangster life will catch up to you.

The adage “There is no honour among thieves” provides a good description of the deception that runs deep among gangsters. Internal wars among Jamaica’s notorious gangs that leaves scores of gang members imprisoned, seriously injured, or dead is a testament to the “in-house” souring of relationships. Essentially, the risks of imprisonment and death sometimes originates within one’s own gang rather than from the police and external rivals.

The Jamaican State and society must be unapologetic and unwavering in denouncing gangs and the gangster life. The state, through the Ministry of Education, should establish at-risk-registries in the island’s secondary schools. These registries would perform surveillance and monitoring functions to identify youth who are most at risk. Students with high-risk profiles should be recommended for early intervention strategies, such as mentorship, conflict resolution training, and counselling.

Dr Damion Blake

dblake3@elon.edu