Jamaica Crime Stats
Author: chris.lockyer781
Jamaica has been constantly ranked as one of the country’s with the highest levels of crime. Both petty crimes and murders have fluctuated over the years. Mostly increasing by large percentages and decreasing by smaller numbers.
The country has one of the world's highest per-capita murder rates. Violent crime can be a real problem in Kingston and other parts of the country, but typically such crimes involve attacks by Jamaicans on other Jamaicans and revolve around drugs, gangs, politics, poverty, or revenge. Criminals do not target visitors.
In 2005, Jamaica had 1,674 murders or a murder rate of 58 per 100,000 people. That year, Jamaica had the highest murder rate in the world. November 2008, the Parliament of Jamaica voted to retain the death penalty, which is performed by hanging.
There were 1,682 reported murders in 2009 and 1,428 in 2010. Since 2011 the murder rate has continued to fall following the downward trend started in 2010, with increases in police patrols, curfews and more effective anti-gang activities. In 2012, the Ministry of National Security reported a 30 percent decrease in murders. Many of the murders in Jamaica are connected to organized crime in the country's urban centers; and most of this organized crime involves the illegal drug trade.
Background:
Definitions
- Assault rate: Number of assaults recorded by police per 100,000 population
- Crime levels: Level of crime. Based on 0-50 contributions for Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria and 82 more countries and 50-100 contributions for Argentina, Belgium, Bulgaria and 24 more countries and over 100 contributions for Australia, Brazil, Canada and 17 more countries. The surveys were conducted by numbeo.com from July, 2011 to February, 2014. See this sample survey for the United States, respondents were asked "How serious you feel the level of crime is?". The higher the value, the more survey respondents believe it is high in their country.
- Drugs > Annual cannabis use: Estimate of percentage of 15-64 year old population who use Cannabis.
- Murder rate: Homicide rate per year per 100,000 inhabitants in various countries.
- Police officers: Number of police officers per 100,000 population.
- Rape rate: Number of rape incidents per 100,000 citizens in different countries. Figures do not take into account rape incidents that go unreported to the police.
- Suicide rates > Suicide rate (both sexes): Suicides per 100’000 residents per year.
- Total crimes: Note: Crime statistics are often better indicators of prevalence of law enforcement and willingness to report crime, than actual prevalence.
- Total crimes per 1000: Note: Crime statistics are often better indicators of prevalence of law enforcement and willingness to report crime, than actual prevalence. Figures expressed per thousand population for the same year.
- Violent crime > Gun crime > Guns per 100 residents: Number of privately owned small firearms per 100 residents.
- Violent crime > Intentional homicide rate: Homicides per 100’000 residents. Homicide is the death of a person purposefully inflicted by another person (it excludes suicides) outside of a state of war. Homicide is a broader category than murder, as it also includes manslaughter. The exact legal definition varies across countries, some of which include infanticide, assisted suicide, euthanasia and deaths caused by dangerous driving.
- Violent crime > Murder rate: Intentional homicide, number and rate per 100,000 population.
- Violent crime > Murder rate per million people: Intentional homicide, number and rate per 100,000 population. Figures expressed per million people for the same year.
- Violent crime > Rapes: The number of recorded rapes. Large numbers of rapes go unreported. South Africa is estimated to have 500,000 rapes per year, Egypt 200,000, China 32,000 and the UK with 85,000 rapes per year.
- Violent crime > Rapes per million people: The number of recorded rapes. Large numbers of rapes go unreported. South Africa is estimated to have 500,000 rapes per year, Egypt 200,000, China 32,000 and the UK with 85,000 rapes per year. Figures expressed per million people for the same year.
SOURCES: European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control International Statistics on Crime and Justice, 2011; crime; https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/WDR2011/World_Drug_Report_2011_ebook.pdf, World Drug Report 2011, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), 2011, p. 217.; UN Crime Stats; Wikipedia: List of countries by suicide rate (Suicide rates per 100,000 by country, year and sex (Table) ); The Eighth United Nations Survey on Crime Trends and the Operations of Criminal Justice Systems (2002) (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Centre for International Crime Prevention); The Eighth United Nations Survey on Crime Trends and the Operations of Criminal Justice Systems (2002) (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Centre for International Crime Prevention). Population figures from World Bank: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects, (2) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years), (3) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (4) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (5) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme, and (6) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database.; Annexe I of the Small Arms Survey 2007 ; Wikipedia: List of countries by intentional homicide rate by decade; United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Source tables; United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Source tables. Population figures from World Bank: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects, (2) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years), (3) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (4) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (5) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme, and (6) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database.; Statistics : Crime : Sexual Violence (UNODC) and Crime Statistics : Sexual Violence Against Children and Rape, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime; Statistics : Crime : Sexual Violence (UNODC) and Crime Statistics : Sexual Violence Against Children and Rape, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Population figures from World Bank: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects, (2) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years), (3) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (4) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (5) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme, and (6) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database.
Citation
Jamaica Crime Profiles (Subcategories)
| Fear of crime 9 | Punishment 6 |
| Perceived problems 4 | Suicide rates 3 |
| Prisoners 5 | Violent crime 8 |
- Jamaica ranked first for murders > WHO amongst Heavily indebted countries in 2004.
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Jamaica has been constantly ranked as one of the country’s with the highest levels of crime. Both petty crimes and murders have fluctuated over the years. Mostly increasing by large percentages and decreasing by smaller numbers.
The country has one of the world's highest per-capita murder rates. Violent crime can be a real problem in Kingston and other parts of the country, but typically such crimes involve attacks by Jamaicans on other Jamaicans and revolve around drugs, gangs, politics, poverty, or revenge. Criminals do not target visitors.
In 2005, Jamaica had 1,674 murders or a murder rate of 58 per 100,000 people. That year, Jamaica had the highest murder rate in the world. November 2008, the Parliament of Jamaica voted to retain the death penalty, which is performed by hanging.
There were 1,682 reported murders in 2009 and 1,428 in 2010. Since 2011 the murder rate has continued to fall following the downward trend started in 2010, with increases in police patrols, curfews and more effective anti-gang activities. In 2012, the Ministry of National Security reported a 30 percent decrease in murders. Many of the murders in Jamaica are connected to organized crime in the country's urban centers; and most of this organized crime involves the illegal drug trade.
Posted on 28 Mar 2014
chris.lockyer781
396 Stat enthusiast
5
Posted on 24 Mar 2005
Suchita Vemuri, Staff Editor
1
Posted on 13 May 2009
kell
0
Posted on 15 Nov 2009
The Devil
0
Posted on 11 Dec 2010
zeebo
0
Posted on 14 Jun 2010
anmol
0
Posted on 14 May 2010
joanda
0
e.g.Fact: It has about the 7th highest murder rate per 100,000 population in the world.
In the last 6 years it has 6000 unsolved murder cases (Source Sunday Gleaner Jamaica).
It is true Jamaicans prefer to kill each other rather than tourists but why sit on a beach 8kms away from where a six year old girl is killed and her 9 year old sister in hospital gunned down as daughters of a local peacemaker who was also murdered? (Source Western Mirror Jamaica)
Posted on 11 May 2010
David Fisher
0
Posted on 16 Apr 2010
CaroC
0
Posted on 09 Mar 2010
Simon(august town)
0
than will people always adjust & conform to their surroundings.
Posted on 05 Feb 2010
TOPSHOTTA
0
A thought- "If you don't have anything positive to say, please, please don't say anything."
Posted on 26 Jan 2010
Toni -NCU
0
Posted on 29 Nov 2009
Ray Ray
0
Jamaica no problem, respect to all Jamaican crew, a jus one love we a deal wid.
Posted on 17 Nov 2009
Toshyboo
0
Posted on 23 Oct 2009
Raldo
0
I would never date a Jamaica man and many foreigners shares the same feelings. Jamaica is like the wild! wild west. No integrity. It is capital world in corruption and crime. Stay away from that hell hole.
Posted on 15 Aug 2009
Patrick Bluth
