Crime and Violence
Impact of violence on Jamaican society
The devastating impact of widespread violence on social order has been widely documented. As is the case worldwide, all types of violence pose serious public health risks and exact both direct and indirect costs on society (3, 7, 8). The impact in terms of death, injuries, short- and long-term disabilities, and mental anguish is vast (7). In addition, violence impedes social advancement and deters economic growth and development. Violence inhibits the recruitment and retention of a highly skilled workforce and forces society to expend a disproportionate amount of its national budget on violence-related health care, security, and crime fighting (3). Jamaica is no exception, spending an extraordinarily high percentage of its gross domestic product on violence-related issues and struggling with reduced human capital, productivity, and quality of life (2, 7, 8). Moreover, the high cost of doing business makes the society unable to compete in the global economy (2, 3). According to Brown (9) ". . . investments from both local and foreign sources, which could create new employment, are being shelved; the educational system is being affected; social interactions are being disrupted; and, the citizens are gripped in fear, unable to live normal lives which prevail in other civil societies." In monetary terms, violence costs the country an estimated J$ 15 billion in health care, lost economic activities, and human suffering; violence related injuries cost the economy more than J$ 700 million per year (3). It is worthy of note that, consistent with global trends, the costs of violence are unevenly distributed since violent crimes are concentrated among the lowest economic segment of society (3, 5, 7).
Father absence. A father in the home, indepen-dent of mother's contribution, serves a protective function against maladaptive outcomes (29). In the United States, empirical studies have indicated that children from homes where there
The devastating impact of widespread violence on social order has been widely documented. As is the case worldwide, all types of violence pose serious public health risks and exact both direct and indirect costs on society (3, 7, 8). The impact in terms of death, injuries, short- and long-term disabilities, and mental anguish is vast (7). In addition, violence impedes social advancement and deters economic growth and development. Violence inhibits the recruitment and retention of a highly skilled workforce and forces society to expend a disproportionate amount of its national budget on violence-related health care, security, and crime fighting (3). Jamaica is no exception, spending an extraordinarily high percentage of its gross domestic product on violence-related issues and struggling with reduced human capital, productivity, and quality of life (2, 7, 8). Moreover, the high cost of doing business makes the society unable to compete in the global economy (2, 3). According to Brown (9) ". . . investments from both local and foreign sources, which could create new employment, are being shelved; the educational system is being affected; social interactions are being disrupted; and, the citizens are gripped in fear, unable to live normal lives which prevail in other civil societies." In monetary terms, violence costs the country an estimated J$ 15 billion in health care, lost economic activities, and human suffering; violence related injuries cost the economy more than J$ 700 million per year (3). It is worthy of note that, consistent with global trends, the costs of violence are unevenly distributed since violent crimes are concentrated among the lowest economic segment of society (3, 5, 7).
Father absence. A father in the home, indepen-dent of mother's contribution, serves a protective function against maladaptive outcomes (29). In the United States, empirical studies have indicated that children from homes where there