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Femicide in Jamaica

Femicide in Jamaica. Glendene Lemard, PhD Research Assistant Professor University of Massachusetts Amherst glemard@schoolph.umass.edu 413-545-2379. Murder Capital of the World. Homicide Rates per 100,000 persons… World 8 Americas 19 United States 4.

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Femicide in Jamaica

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  1. Femicide in Jamaica Glendene Lemard, PhD Research Assistant Professor University of Massachusetts Amherst glemard@schoolph.umass.edu 413-545-2379

  2. Murder Capital of the World Homicide Rates per 100,000 persons… World 8 Americas 19 United States 4 Jamaica’s homicide rate in 2005 was64per 100,000 persons

  3. METHODS • Review of police reports on homicides 1998-2002 • Find trends • Bi-variate analyses conducted to find significant trends • PROCESS • IMPLICATIONS

  4. Femicide in Jamaica • Very different from male homicides • Prior to 1998 data not disaggregated by gender • Overshadowed by male homicide figures

  5. Homicide in Jamaica

  6. Femicide data in Jamaica • Majority of homicides are reported to the police • Police capture figures from the case narratives that are important • Gender (since 1998) • Weapon • Motive • Location • Age

  7. Motive for Homicide “Other” includes mob killings, police criminal confrontation, unknown Policy based on motive will overlook key issue with femicide: DISPUTE

  8. Implement Used (2007)

  9. Age of murder victims • Data from 2007 • Minimum age (months old) • Maximum age (90) • Average age (30) • Most common age (21)

  10. Police Classification • Definitions • Unwritten • Normative “just understood” • Motive • Domestic violence versus dispute • Location unclear • Data not disaggregated into useful categories • Much useful data not coded

  11. Police classification of location is not sufficient Police Classification Home: 1.5% Reclassification Home: 15.1%

  12. Location of Homicide • Homicide Location • (Males) • 12% Home • 59% Street • 6% Commercial • 0.8% Open lot • 17% Undetermined

  13. Victim-Perpetrator Relationship

  14. Rape-related femicide • Information from narrative • Seem to suggest stranger rape • Violent rape…strangulation etc • Lack of investigation on serial nature of rapes • Age of the victims important • More research needed

  15. Typical cases from narrative Victim was at home asleep with her common-law husband when a group of men armed with guns kicked open the front door of house, entered and fired shots hitting victim all over her body. She was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead by the doctor Victim was at home sleeping when a group of men armed with guns fired shots inside the house hitting victim all over her body. The men then threw explosives inside the house causing a fire. Victim was pronounced dead at the hospital

  16. Number of Assailants (2007)

  17. Intimate Partner Violence The victim was at home talking to her boyfriend when her ex-boyfriend came there kicked off a side door and opened fire on the victim hitting her in her left side. Her boyfriend ran and escaped through a back door. Victim was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. Victim and accused who is her boyfriend had a dispute during which he used a knife to slash her throat. She was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead by the doctor on duty

  18. What we know • Age • Motive (basic) • Circumstances • Weapon • Location • 37% of suspects arrested • 10% of females

  19. What we don’t know • Victim-perpetrator relationship • Motives for reprisals • Motives for executions • Correlations • motive and weapon • Suspects • Groups of men? Why?

  20. Information from Interviews • Changing gender relations • Women and children increasingly targeted in reprisal killings • Indirect links to the drug trade and gang activity • Love triangles are a problem • Females sometimes kill females • Disputes get out of hand

  21. Recommendations • More in depth research on circumstances • Examine cases of in-direct abuse • Strengthen systematic surveillance • Training of police force • Use data on femicide to target interventions

  22. Acknowledgements • Statistics Unit of the Jamaica Police Force • Dr. Anthony Harriott at the University of the West Indies • Dr. David Hemenway at Harvard School of Public Health • Ms. Julaine Richardson of the Jamaica Police Force • Mr. Gordon Wright of the Jamaica Police Force • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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