How crime started in Trinidad & Tobago

How crime started in Trinidad & Tobago this is a good question to ask our selves. Just 5-6 years ago their were like less than 20 murders a year and its 400 plus, what seems to be the cause of this boost in the crime rate,
Are the
1.Foreign workers to be blamed.
2.The high cost of living
3.Music in society today
4.Bad growth of childhood.

Can we discuss this serious talk no one line thing, lets get the root of the problem.

I Think is all....all kind of certain problems lead to this crime..crime began in the days of slavery when masters did all kinda things to slave like kill them etc. slaves used to steal from others etc. so it started long before.....high cost of living made it worst cause there are fights for making a living, stealing to provide for family..music influences 'gangster attitude' to make people feel they are bad and can do whatever they please, also the "bend ova, bend ova..up in yuh belly' songs disgracing females now-a-days and actually they loving how fellas look at them ...i think it is rubbish music like these should be banned its to over rated

The issue of crime in Trinidad & Tobago can be looked at from various viewpoints, however, as a psychology student, I choose to view it through the eyes of a service provider in the field. I have heard (and seen) all sorts of thoughts and opinions, with people laying the blame all over the place, and coming up with all kinds of solutions, many of which are either immoral or illegal, or both. ("Fight fire with fire!", as they say.) Most people, I believe, are both genuinely concerned, and genuine in their belief that (their) solutions would work, however, they begin to lose my support when the suggestions reach to vigilantism and violation of the law. I think that those suggestions validate the behavior of criminals, and, for fear of their own lives (yes, criminals love themselves), would make them more violent, paranoid, and desperate, which, I think, is the worst kind of criminal to deal with in the first place. Further, most commentary fail to understand when "cause and effect" occurs, and, as such, often confuse the relationship between two variables (for example, TV violence and crime) with what, in most cases are correlations. In other words, TV violence does not "cause" crime, however, I agree, that there are strong (positive) correlations between the two. (As the amount of TV violence viewed increases, the level of crime also increases.) We must admit, though, that there are other variables: poverty, racism and discrimination, etc. Neither "causes" crime, but each has its own special relationship with/to crime.
To honestly answer the question, "How crime started in Trinidad & Tobago", one would have to say that it started with piracy and colonialism; the taking of another people's land, wiping them out, enslaving another group of people to build your wealth, then taking another group of people, who simply wanted a better life for their families, and coming up with a way to pay them well below what they were worth, namely, indentureship. At the same time, these peoples were taught in schools about these same "criminals": Christopher Columbus, Admirals Benbow and Nelson, and so on, and that their ancestors were uncivilized, inferior, pagan, non-human beings that needed Christianizing. TV and movies reinforced the glamorizing of criminal behavior and killing (with guns), in general: Jesse James, Casablanca, Oliver Twist, The Godfather... As a result, TNT culture absorbed these images, and calipsonians and steelbands began taking on names (and personas) to reflect these criminal influences. Names like Crossfire, Invaders, Tripoli, Casablanca, Tokyo, Lord Sniper, Mighty Terror, Bomber, etc., thus became normal sobriquets. One can only wonder how many panmen and others would have died during the violent steelband clashes, had guns been the weapon of choice over cutlasses; how many more helpless wives would have been shot instead of maimed or chopped by advantageous, abusive husbands.
So the "criminal" mentality is nothing new, and even among those of us who claim to be "law-abiding", many still break driving laws, drug laws, tax laws, real estate law, and the list goes on. Every individual in a society is influenced by a combination of spiritual, psychological, and physical factors, and both nurture (genetics, biological makeup, etc.) and nature (the environment and its benefits and/or hazards) play a role on a person's behaviors and attitudes. I am positive that among those involved in criminal activity, there would be a few that have psychological issues, some may actually have medical issues, while some will be (what we call) "pure rotten". Our criminal justice system need to seriously reconsider the benefits of treatment and rehabilitation; to house inmates (yes, criminals are people) in inhumane conditions poses further crime and health risks to our society. We cannot afford to lose our own humanity in attempting to solve the crime problem.
I am about to form a non-profit organization in Trinidad & Tobago focused on adolescent crime and gang activity. Our mission is to address what we believe is the main underlying issue with deviant behavior among our youth, namely, identity. Our approach is based on an old saying my mother used to always repeat: "Prevention is better than cure." In that light, we aim to be proactive rather than reactive, by intervening at appropriate moments, using innovative, age-relevant approaches to counsel and mentor "at risk" school-aged students. We understand that the social injustices of slavery (Maafa), colonialism and capitalism, discrimination and marginalization, have played their parts in our society's exponential decrease in quality of life, and that it will take the entire TNT village to solve our problems. Separation by "race", class, religion, political party, area, band "we from", or any other reason, is counterproductive to the effort. I read the most asinine comment where the author was suggesting that Trinidad's non-traditional "religions" (Orisha,Shango, etc.) and the spirits they evoke, as being the reasons for the escalation in crime. That sort of religious bigotry has to end; GOD gave us all the right to worship (or not) in the way we choose, granted that at the end of the day we all have to account for our choices. Until the images of Africans (and Indians) and people of African (and Indian) descent are corrected from "inferior, pagan, need to be "Christianized" and "born again", our society will continue to rob young minds of the knowledge of who they really are, what they are really capable of, and what choices they must make to get there. Society has rubbed their luxuries and wealth, their unapologetic egos and their individualism, their unwillingness to share or, at least help in some way, any way, for far too long. They ignored a problem that is now deeply rooted in the minds of these same youth now involved in criminal activity, and the "shoot "em up, and kill "em all" approach will not solve the crime problem. We must be willing to go to the source of the problem, conduct empirical research on "at risk" youth's attitudes and opinions on crime and gang activity, have alternative programs to reinforce fundamental moral values and distract youth from deviant behavior, have prisons and rehab programs the really rehab, get involved with the communities outside of our own, encourage the government to have a bonafide witness protection program that works with our neighbors and allies in the region’s relocation efforts (probably swap witnesses between countries), and finally, start thinking like a "village" again. Individual wealth and success are only as enjoyable as the ability to use them freely without fear or guilt.
I hope my comments are met with the genuine love from which they were sent.

Trini 2 D Bone!!!

Da Natty Professor

Word.. You guys are thorough. But what is meant by this "christianizing" I'm not familiar with that concept.
Crime results from many interweaving influences but I think one of the major causes is human nature, not that crime is natural, but that some traits seem inseparable from the human existance. As to how it reaches these purportions that would take a longer answer.

"Christianizing" means forcing Western "Christianity" on an unwilling and resistant people. Do you see that as "criminal" (i.e. Chattel Slavery)?

RauCous wrote:Word.. You guys are thorough. But what is meant by this "christianizing" I'm not familiar with that concept.
Crime results from many interweaving influences but I think one of the major causes is human nature, not that crime is natural, but that some traits seem inseparable from the human existance. As to how it reaches these purportions that would take a longer answer.

To me crime started because of people's greed..... They never have enough, always want more and will do anything to get more....

Not only that too when people are faced to live their lives into poverty they will turn to crime, single parents, people who don't have an education, high food prices these things turn good people to crime

Now imagine all the companies going thru recession now and with all this talk about this increase in tax for people of pos imagine how many people going to be laid off who cannot pay that money then when people are unemployed it will lead to people stealing money to provide for their family

boy ppl doh want to go an wuk, every ting dey c u have dey wat dat!!!
ppl eye tooooo looong now, dishonest an uncorporative also lazy

Crime started when corruption started. When the government decided to make decisions for the benefit of themselves, the citizens started to do the same.